Evolutionary Energy
by Fliptailser
Summary: After the events of Convergence, Ray begins to collect the rest of the Unova badges, accompanied by Kristy and Stanley. But he quickly gets sidetracked again—a new device that can transform humans into Pokémon threatens to throw Unova into chaos.
1. Defeat

**Author's note: **See my profile for notes relevant to this story. This is a sequel, so it might not make any sense at all unless you read the first story (shudder). Also, thanks for reading!

* * *

><p>"Okay, Terral," Ray said, looking his Skarmory in the eye. "You can do this."<p>

As Ray surveyed the hangar-turned-battlefield, he fingered a small stain on his shirt—his dark blue and black windbreaker remained permanently tarnished by the events of the past few days. He had been kidnapped in some insane plot to end the world—and now he was continuing his League quest like nothing had ever happened.

Better that way, he figured.

The stain—it was actually a burnt spot—reminded him of the whole thing. He didn't really mind the little patch, because it was small and hard to see, but it reminded him of his mistakes. And who needs to be reminded of those?

It also reminded him of Gabe, who was in a coma because of everything—

"You ready over there?" Skyla called from afar. Her Pokémon, an Unfezant, tapped the floor impatiently.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Ray said. The Gym battle was a close one—both Ray and Skyla were down to their last Pokémon.

"Then let's go!" Skyla charged. "Air Slash!"

"You too, Terral!" Ray called.

The Unfezant immediately took off into the air, and Terral followed suit. The hangar gave the two birds plenty of room above, but they fought in such close quarters that it didn't matter.

Ray's battle technique was very loose; he only ordered moves if he thought they were critically important. He usually just told his Pokémon when to be evasive and when to attack, letting them decide their own moves. Currently both combatants were using the Air Slash move, but Terral switched to a different attack after a few minutes. Ray thought it was Air Cutter, but he wasn't sure.

"You sure let your Pokémon do all the work, Ray!" Skyla teased. "Go, Razor Wind!" The attack grazed one of Terral's wings, and the Skarmory faltered in midair.

"You can do it, Terral!" Kristy called from the sidelines. Ray suddenly remembered, with a little anxiety, that she was watching the match—along with Stanley, another friend. Ray had no intention of losing in front of Kristy, if only because he liked to consider himself a good Trainer. Not that Kristy was bad; it was just that she looked like a novice, yet she was keeping up with Ray in getting all the badges—

A piercing cry from above jolted Ray back into focus. To his dismay, the Unfezant had landed a powerful hit on Terral's wings. Terral plummeted to the Gym floor with a pained _kee_. His silvery wings lay sprawled out on the smooth concrete.

"Paying attention?" Skyla said, arms crossed.

"Yeah," Ray said defensively. "You can't stop now, Terral! Get up!"

"That's more like it." Skyla still had her arms up in disapproval.

Once Terral had picked himself off the floor, Ray said, "Good, keep it up! Guard your wings!"

"Go Terral!" Kristy cheered.

The outcome of the battle looked bleak—Terral had taken a beating from the fall, while the Unfezant only had a few scratches. Ray absentmindedly touched the burnt spot on his shirt again, deciding that he would have to be harder on Terral if they were going to win.

"Steel Wing!" Ray ordered. "Don't miss!"

Terral dived at his opponent in midair, slashing at the Unfezant with his sharp wings. The attack connected, but the Unfezant immediately countered with another attack—

"Watch out!" Ray yelled.

Terral dived out of the way, just in time. The Unfezant flew past, leaving itself open—

"Get it!"

"Sky Attack!" Skyla called.

Terral faltered briefly, apparently knowing what Sky Attack was. The Unfezant flew up to the ceiling, glowing harshly like an overpowered light bulb. It turned and aimed itself at Terral menacingly.

Terral glanced down at Ray, shaking in midair, waiting for a command.

"Fly up and dodge it!" Ray said. He had no idea what kind of attack Sky Attack was, but it looked like a diving move.

And it was. The Unfezant suddenly plummeted in Terral's direction, practically sparking with energy. Terral tried to dodge, but the Unfezant was too fast. Like two planes colliding, the Unfezant smashed into Terral and sent him flying clear across the hangar.

"No!" Ray cried. He watched Terral fall again—tumbling like a ragdoll—and this time he hit the floor without a sound.

"I think that's it, Ray," Skyla said quietly, as her Unfezant returned to her side. She raised her voice. "That was a pretty good match, but—"

"He can still go," Ray insisted. "Get up, Terral!"

Terral shuddered, scraped his wings off the floor, and stood up. Some of the Skarmory's wings looked dented, and others were scratched and dull. A squeal of pity from the sidelines made Ray feel guilty that his Pokémon was so beat up.

But there was no way he would give up, yet.

"Okay, ready," he said.

Skyla frowned. "You're mistaken, Ray. I don't think he's even strong enough to fly."

"Show her, Terral," Ray urged.

Terral crouched and then bravely leapt into the air, but couldn't stay airborne for long. Flapping weakly, he collapsed to the ground again and lay still.

"Come on," Ray muttered. He called out, "Aren't Skarmories supposed to be tough?" It was a rare moment of anger. Terral didn't respond, except by possibly sighing.

"I'm afraid this is the end of the match," Skyla said, walking towards Ray's side of the arena. "Don't worry—you can challenge me again, after your Pokémon get some rest."

Ray sighed and put Terral back in his ball. "I'm sorry for getting all worked up," he said, once Skyla was next to him. "I just didn't wanna lose… I know it sounds stupid—"

"Apologize to your Pokémon, not me," Skyla scorned. "But I know what you mean." She glanced over at Kristy, smiling slightly. "And you've got… motivation."

"What?" Ray turned around. There was Kristy, waving sheepishly.

"Oh, nothing," Skyla said, waving it off. "Go heal up your Pokémon. It was nice to meet you."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Ray and Stanley were sitting in a flat, grassy park in the middle of Mistralton City. Ray's Pokémon all did their own things: Spolt, his Manectric, prowled around with Felsin, his Armaldo. His Houndoom, Dax, napped underneath a tree. Occasionally, Archie the Archen would drop from above and land on his head—Dax would fake a snarl, then return to his nap as soon as Archie fled from sight. The little bird perched in the tree again and watched the sunset sink behind some skyscrapers in the distance.<p>

Terral perched on a different tree, far away, motionless like some sort of silver statue.

"How come you're not watching Kristy battle her?" Ray asked Stanley. While they sat on a bench in the park, Kristy was trying for the Gym badge herself. Alone, apparently.

"I just wanted to hang with you," Stanley said. "And Kristy thought you took the loss kinda hard, too." He didn't say it tenderly or anything, to Ray's relief. He didn't like it when people took pity on him.

"It's not really the loss," Ray murmured. He glanced at Stanley, who was watching the Pokémon play. The lanky Trainer had on some shirt with a faded logo Ray didn't recognize. He was also wearing his jacket, which was so faded that the green color was barely visible. His chestnut hair haphazardly angled over his head in scruffy locks. Stanley's super-faded jacket matched his super-faded pants—it was clear the two went together.

Ray turned his gaze away from Stanley. He didn't want to creep him out with all the staring.

Ray turned to what was really on his mind. "I just wish I hadn't been so mean to Terral."

"You were just caught up in it, that's all," Stanley said, scratching his head. "Some toughness isn't bad. I just don't think Terral was expecting it, or something."

"Yeah, I'm never like that with my Pokémon," Ray explained. "I don't want to force my Pokémon to get really hurt, and then they hate me, or something."

"That's understandable," Stanley said as they watched Archie flap his wings around.

"I mean, I want to win, but…"

"Listen, if you're worried your Pokémon will hate you… I'm pretty sure that'll never happen." Stanley gestured with his head at Ray's four nearby Pokémon, who were all enjoying themselves like schoolchildren during recess.

"But look at Terral over there," Ray said, pointing at an empty tree. "Oh, he's gone."

"Where do you think he went?"

"He likes to fly around, really high in the sky. He'll come back."

"Did you, uh, talk to him when you let him out here?"

"Well, no… but he flew off as soon as he was out. Over to that tree."

"Oh." Stanley peered up at the bright sky, looking for Terral. "Maybe you should train them more? I mean, I only see you train them by battling."

"I used to train Spolt and Dax, a long time ago, actually," Ray revealed. "But it was just because I wasn't really allowed to battle yet."

"You should get some dog toys for them," Stanley suggested. "Like a tug rope. Or a Frisbee."

"You mean we're going shopping?" Ray said with some disdain.

"What's wrong with shopping?"

"Well, it's usually boring," Ray said. "I was never into buying a lot of stuff."

Stanley stared at Ray, confused.

"What?" Ray said defensively. "You asked what's wrong with shopping."

"No, I didn't," Stanley said, shifting in his seat on the bench. His slate-colored eyes narrowed, as if he suspected a prank was underway.

"Sorry, Ray," came a voice. "I'm communicating telepathically. You must've assumed I was your friend speaking."

"Huh?" Ray said blankly.

"What?" Stanley said, unnerved.

"It's me, Latios," the telepathic voice said to Ray.

"Oh!" Ray exclaimed. "I didn't know you can talk to me like this."

"I didn't really know, either. I'm trying to reach your friend, but I can't."

"It's the Latios from before," Ray explained to Stanley. "He's talking to me telepathically."

"Okay," Stanley said. "I thought you had broken something in your head just then."

Latios spoke again. "I just wanted to let you know! Your friend Gabe, who is in a co… coma—he's over here, I think. It's kind of complicated, but I think I can get him to wake up!"

"Well, that's good," Ray said, glad that Gabe was alright after all.

"I'll try to reach you again in a better way later," Latios said. "This is kind of tiring, so until next time."

"He's gone," Ray said aloud. "And he said Gabe's gonna be all right."

"Wow," Stanley said, halfhearted.

"What?" Ray asked.

"I wanted to talk to him too," Stanley said. "Talking to a Pokémon's so cool."

A while later, Kristy returned to the darkened park. She skipped as she approached Ray and Stanley, who were preparing their sleeping bags. Ray's Pokémon were going to sleep with them, too.

"I won!" she cried, and it echoed over the whole park. "I was _so _lucky… I bet she was just tired from battling you."

"Well… congrats," Ray said, sighing.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Actually, Ray was jealous that Kristy won the badge first try. He felt happy for her victory, of course, but he had himself convinced that Skyla had just been worn out. There was no way Kristy could have won. Ray cringed inwardly at his own thoughts, but he still agreed with them to some degree.

That was half of what was wrong.

The other half wasn't so hard for him to say. "It's night," Ray continued, "and Terral hasn't come back yet."

"Do you think he got lost?" Kristy asked.

Ray didn't respond.

"Let's just go to sleep," Stanley quickly suggested. "He'll definitely find his way back by _then. _And then you can battle the Gym again."

Ray agreed, and settled down for the night.

As Kristy began taking out her own sleeping things, she said, "Is it even legal to sleep here like this?"

"No idea," Stanley said. "Why wouldn't it be allowed?"

"I feel like a hobo."

"Well, technically, aren't we homeless here?"

"Oh, I don't know," Kristy said, giving up.

Everyone soon went to sleep, except for Dax, who decided to get up and wander around. His eyes glowed in the darkness—the Houndoom circled and watched for some nonexistent danger.

Ray tried to search the starry sky for some gleaming shape that could be Terral, but it was hopeless.


	2. Rematch

"Krokorok are desert Pokémon who live in very small groups," Ray read from his Pokédex. The Krokorok in front of him smirked—he apparently knew he was the center of attention. "They've got membranes on their eyes that protect from sandstorms and give them some degree of thermal vision."

"That's all it says?" Kristy asked. She stood next to her Krokorok, who had evolved during yesterday's Gym battle. Her other Pokémon were out, too—Buizel, Chatot, Purrloin, and a baby Deerling. Stanley's one Pokémon, Tretters the Fearow, seemed to be watching the sky. Ray's Pokémon were back in their balls.

"No, that's the short version," Ray said. He brought up the full entry and skipped to a random section: "According to tradition, wild Krokorok harass travelers who possess stolen property. However, no data supporting this behavior has been found. To the contrary, wild Krokorok shy away from human contact, and tend to move away from newly-built roads. Recent population studies—citation needed—suggest that human development in the desert—"

"Okay, I get it," Kristy said. She hugged Krokorok. "He did so well in the Gym battle." Krokorok's smirk turned into a genuine grin.

"Speaking of which," Stanley said, "we should go see the Gym again, and then hit the road."

"What about Terral?" Kristy asked. "He's not back yet."

"L-let's go," Ray said. "I'm sure he can find me."

"Well, okay." Kristy withdrew her Pokémon, and then the three of them left the park. In a rush of air, Tretters left Stanley's side and followed from up in the sky. Ray looked up there, hoping to see Terral.

* * *

><p>Mistralton City's streets were much less intimidating than the ones in Nimbasa or Castelia. From the park, Ray, Kristy, and Stanley walked downtown. Stores lined the streets, but didn't overwhelm them like in Castelia.<p>

"So," Kristy said, since no one was talking, "where do you think Terral is?"

"I don't know," Ray said. He sighed and looked up at the sky. He could see a little brown shape—Tretters.

Ray stopped walking. "I think he ran away." He glanced up at the sky. "I knew this was gonna happen."

"What do you mean?" Kristy said.

"Nothing."

"Why would he run away?"

"Nothing, I said," Ray repeated. He turned away.

"Let's keep moving," Stanley intervened.

"Can I see your Pokédex, Ray?" asked Kristy.

"Come on," Stanley said gently. He began walking.

After a moment, Ray turned and handed the device over, and everyone began walking down the street again. Kristy immediately began using it to look up something.

"See?" Kristy said. She read from the Dex: "Skarmory are very loyal birds, whether to kin or human companions. Like some other bird Pokémon, they always seem to know where their Trainers are. Studies conducted in the past decade all support this conclusion for Skarmory as well as Pidgeot and Staraptor—"

"I said he ran away, though," Ray mumbled.

"Well, let me finish!" Kristy said. "Skarmory are unique among birds in the sense that they are highly driven by honor. Wild Skarmory, who are solitary in adulthood, will tenaciously challenge any capable Trainer passing through their territory. Defenseless people, however, go by unmolested. This behavior has been documented extensively on R-45 and R-113.

"Captured Skarmory will often exile themselves if they feel greatly dishonored or inadequate," Kristy continued. "They abandon their Trainers and train alone, as if they were wild. After some time, they return and challenge their Trainer. According to Winona, Hoenn's flying-type Gym Leader, the Skarmory challenges the Trainer to prove that it has grown in strength. Even if it loses, Winona contends, the Skarmory will be more than happy to be accepted again. The Skarmory will often refuse to answer to their old name, because they associate it with their past, inferior self."

"You think that's what happened?" Ray asked.

"It makes sense," Kristy said, handing back his Dex with a flourish.

"Gym's just down this road," Stanley pointed out. Sensing a chance to change the subject of the conversation, he said, "So why are you in Unova anyways, Kristy?"

"Well," she said, "I guess I can tell you guys. My parents paid for me to come here. They're real theater people, sort of big in Hearthome City in Sinnoh. They wanted me to go see the theater in Nimbasa, but I had to go by myself. They're busy with the showbiz and all that… I saw some musicals in Nimbasa, and I loved it, but I don't think I'd like performing in front of all those people every day."

"I know, right?" Stanley said. "And the Pokémon musical must be even harder to pull off."

"We should have seen it," Ray said.

"So now I'm just doing the Gym badges thing," Kristy explained. "Don't tell my parents." She suppressed a laugh.

"I've never been to Unova before," Ray ventured. "Gabe and I came here to check it out, and to try the League since the tournament's in a week or something."

"I hope Gabe's okay," Kristy said.

"Me too." Ray hoped Gabe wouldn't be too mad that he had been left behind.

"So why are _you_ here, Stanley?"

"Oh," Stanley said. "I came from Hoenn, to… see Unova. That's about it."

Ray figured Stanley had nothing to do in Unova, actually. That's why he was following Ray and Kristy around the region.

"I guess I'll talk about my Pokémon," Kristy said. Still walking, she released her Buizel. It padded alongside her, curiously peering into the shops as they passed.

"I got Buizel like two years ago, when I turned fifteen. He was my first Pokémon ever—I found him all lost just outside Hearthome. My parents didn't want me to keep him, but he was the first thing I was really… passionate about. I showed excitement for him that they wanted me to have for theater." She scooped him up in her arms. "Eventually, though, they loved him too!" She gave him a snuggle.

"The next year, my parents got me a Chatot as a present—I think they had wanted _her_ to be my first Pokémon. She's more feisty than Buizel—she was the first Pokémon I ever battled with. When my parents found out, they grounded me for like, two weeks.

"And I got three more Pokémon here in Unova. Let's see… I won an egg in this random lottery in Castelia, and it hatched into a really cute Deerling. Um, and I caught a Sandile in the desert—I think you saw me there."

"Oh yeah," Ray said. "That was awkward."

"Yeah," Kristy agreed. "I don't know what I was thinking. Anyways, Sandile evolved in the Gym battle yesterday. You read the Pokédex and everything. And I also caught a Purrloin, the one you saw up the tree."

"Your parents are gonna freak out at all those Pokémon," Stanley pointed out.

"I'm hoping to make up for it with some prize money," Kristy revealed. "I dunno how far in this thing I can last, though. The only reason I got the badge here was because Skyla was tired and Sandile evolved and stuff."

"Well, speaking of the badge, there's the Gym," Stanley said.

Ray lifted his gaze. They had reached the airport—one of the hangars there was the Gym.

"Okay," Ray said. "I can do this… without Terral."

"That's the spirit!" Kristy said. "I think."

* * *

><p>"Okay, Ray," Skyla said. "The rules are the same as last time. Good luck!" She started off with her Swanna, who watched Ray calmly.<p>

Ray could do it. He didn't feel the same pressure to win from before, probably because now he didn't care whether Kristy was watching or not. She'd seen him lose already. Besides, Ray doubted that Kristy would think less of him for losing. She was... really nice.

In a way, Ray had come to his senses. Now he would be more confident, and less desperate to win. Still, he resisted the urge to look at the stands behind him, where Stanley and Kristy were sitting.

"Go, Spolt!" Ray said, releasing his Manectric onto the battlefield. Skyla frowned—Ray had learned in the previous battle that Swanna was especially weak against electricity.

Ray wasted no time. "Get it with Thunder Fang!"

Spolt dashed across the battlefield, while the Swanna took flight. By the time Spolt made it to Swanna, the bird was already out of his reach. Spolt could either wait for her to come down, or switch to ranged attacks.

Ray, realizing that he had to be more active in his own battles, made the choice for him. "Bring it down with Thunder Wave!"

Spolt bristled slightly, and then launched visible electric waves into the air.

"Dodge it and attack with BubbleBeam!" Skyla called out. Her Swanna, still up in the air, immediately began swerving and spewing a jet of bubbles at Spolt.

"Watch out!" Ray urged.

The bubbles were trained on Spolt's eyes—once they connected, Spolt stood still, trying to clear his vision. First he shook his head, and then he shook like he was drying off after a swim, but the bubbles kept coming. Soon the floor became wet—the beam intensified and pushed Spolt off his feet. He slid back several feet before dry floor helped him get back up.

"You can do it, Spolt!" Ray and Kristy said at the same time.

Spolt, who was damp from all the bubbles, began charging electricity. His fur still managed to bristle, and he glowed slightly.

Ray knew what Spolt was doing. "Yes, do that!" he encouraged. He hoped the Swanna wouldn't know how to dodge if he didn't say the move.

All of a sudden, the air in the Gym began cracking like fireworks—Spolt discharged electricity over the whole battlefield, briefly turning it into a light show. Ray could feel his hair standing up a little.

The Swanna, on the other hand, felt it much more than that. Zapped in midair, it fell to the ground, defeated.

"Impressive job, Ray!" Skyla said from across the battlefield. "I can already tell you've improved!" She withdrew her Pokémon, saying, "You didn't use Discharge last time… That was intense!" She brought in her next Pokémon, a Swoobat.

Spolt retreated to Ray's end of the hangar. "Are you still up for it?" Ray asked him. Spolt nodded and barked eagerly, even though his coat looked deflated from all the discharge.

"Okay, we're ready," Ray said.

"Go!" Skyla said, beginning the next round. Her Swoobat approached Spolt with a cute, playful air.

"Don't let it get to you!" Ray warned.

Spolt hesitated for a second or two, and that was enough for the Swoobat—it quickly swerved in for a slashing blow. The attack knocked Spolt backwards, and this time Spolt lay stunned.

"Acrobatics!" Skyla ordered.

Before Spolt could recover, the Swoobat swerved up in the air and dived down at him, landing another blow. Ray flinched at the hit. When he looked back, Spolt was knocked out.

"We're tied up," Skyla said triumphantly.

"Not for long!" Ray challenged. He sent out Dax, who barked and immediately charged towards the Swoobat. "Fire Fang!"

"Keep up the Acrobatics!" Skyla said.

"Jump!" Ray yelled.

When the Swoobat closed in to attack again, Dax leapt into the air and attacked with flaming fangs. He latched on, and hung in the air.

"Aah!" Skyla cried. "Oh no!"

Ray cheered inside, even though things looked painful for the Swoobat. "Hold on tight!" he told Dax.

"Oh yeah?" Skyla said, enraged. "Fly as high as you can, Swoobat! Go!"

Her Pokémon obediently and laboriously began rising up, taking Dax with her.

"Let go—wait, don't!" Ray said. He was too high to fall safely. Maybe if he held on, the Swoobat would tire and sink to the ground.

Dax growled at the conflicting commands.

"Go Dax!" Kristy cried.

"Shake him off!" Skyla yelled upwards.

"Hold on!" Ray repeated.

The Swoobat convulsed, and to Ray's despair, Dax lost his hold and fell nearly fifty feet.

"No!" Ray cried helplessly.

Dax crashed to the floor with a yelp, and didn't move.

"I'm sorry I had to knock out your Houndoom like that," Skyla said, regaining her composure. "It was really holding on, though." Her Swoobat, exhausted, returned to her side of the arena.

Ray withdrew Dax, saying quietly, "Good job." He sent out his last Pokémon, Felsin.

"Ooh, an Armaldo!" Skyla said, interested. "Lenora was talking to me about those yesterday!"

That reminded him—Ray still had to call Lenora about the egg she had given him, which had hatched into Archie.

"Okay, Felsin," Ray said. "This one's weakened already. Just slash at it when it gets close." Felsin nodded, eager to participate in the battle.

"Ready," Ray said.

"Okay, Swoobat, do the best you can!" Skyla said. But her Swoobat was nearly defeated. It flapped halfheartedly, afraid to confront Felsin and his big claws.

Felsin advanced cheerfully, as if not in a battle where wounds could be inflicted. The Swoobat, on the other hand, remained where it was.

When they met, it was painful to watch. The Swoobat, exhausted and unable to dodge, got knocked out by Felsin's very first attack—a simple slashing move.

"Tied again," Ray said. "Keep it up, Felsin!"

Felsin barked, unsatisfied. Finishing off the Swoobat was far from a great victory.

"Tied? Not for long!" Skyla said, smiling. "Here we are again, at the deciding round. Go, Unfezant!"

The Unfezant appeared in a flash of light. She looked surprised to see an Armaldo as her opponent.

"Ready!" Skyla said. "Get in there!"

The Unfezant instantly turned into a blur, and the blur hit Felsin head-on, knocking him backwards. He got up quickly, growling. The next time the Unfezant used Quick Attack, he tried to block with his claws—but his reflexes were too slow.

"Air Slash!" Skyla ordered as Felsin landed on his back again.

"W-watch out!" Ray said, worried he was starting to lose.

Before the attack could reach him, Felsin rolled out of the way. Standing up, he challenged the Unfezant with a bark. Then, he opened his mouth and struck the Unfezant with a short burst of water.

"Water Gun?" Skyla said, briefly puzzled.

The move was weak, but it had distracted the Unfezant, who was hovering low to the ground.

"Jump and knock it down!" Ray said, leaning forward.

Felsin wasn't the highest of jumpers, but it was enough for him to reach his opponent with one claw. Both Pokémon fell to the ground—Felsin landed on his feet, while the Unfezant hit the floor.

"Yes!" Ray burst out. A second later, he said, "You've almost got it!"

Felsin plodded forward and used a move Ray didn't know. It was like Slash, but more furious.

Fury Cutter, Ray realized.

And the move had ended the match. The Unfezant was, as a ref would say, unable to battle.

"Whew!" Skyla said, withdrawing her Unfezant. "I'm impressed by how quickly you changed your style, Ray. The way your Armaldo fought there was especially impressive!"

Felsin, embarrassed, turned away from Skyla. Ray trotted to the middle of the arena and gave him a hug.

Skyla joined Ray and Felsin in the middle of the hangar. "I don't always fight at full strength, you know. But when I do… it's because of Trainers like you."

"Really?" Ray said.

"Yeah! Even our first battle was pretty tough! Anyway, take this." She gave him a badge shaped like a feather. "The Jet Badge!"

"Good job!" Stanley said from behind. Everyone was in the middle of the arena now.

"Felsin is so awesome!" Kristy said, giving him a second hug.

After Ray put away his new badge, Skyla said, "Well, I guess that's it. I have a flight to pilot in an hour, so I guess I'll be seeing you sometime."

They said goodbye, and left the hangar for the nearest Pokémon Center. Felsin walked by Ray's side, incredibly proud of himself.

"See?" Kristy said. "I knew you'd win the second time." She walked with her Buizel; Ray, on the other hand, let all of his Pokémon out, except for Archie. It was tough to keep track of _him_.

Spolt and Dax stuck together as usual, while Felsin cheerfully strolled along at Ray's side.

As they walked to the edge of town, Ray's wrist began buzzing.

"Hello?" Ray said, answering his C-Gear. It was in phone mode, one of the new features.

"Ray," said Gabe's father quietly. "We got a call from the hospital—they explained the whole thing for Gabe, but what about you?"

Flustered, Ray said, "I'm fine, I guess. We're about to leave Mistralton—"

The voice on the phone rose. "You're going to just _leave _him there?"

"He'll be fine! I just can't… wait around, you know?"

"I see," said Gabe's dad. "Well, The doctors said they started to see some brain activity, with Gabe, but it wasn't nearly as close to normal levels. Something along those lines. And the activity goes away, and comes back. But each time it's a bit stronger."

"That sounds good," Ray said, feeling better about his decision to leave Gabe.

"I'll go ahead and give the phone to—"

"Ray!" exclaimed Ray's dad. "You're alright!"

"Yeah—"

"You know they were talking about you on the news?"

"Yeah."

"Anyways, I'm glad you're okay. We can't go over to Unova right now because Hoenn's state of emergency can't be lifted for another week. But we figured since you're okay, and Gabe seems to be on the recovery, you just return soon. By the time that tourney's over, Hoenn should be back to normal."

"What's going on over there, anyways?" asked Ray. It had been bugging him for a while now, but he'd been afraid to make the call—he'd thought for sure he would be forced to go home. Also, he'd been a bit scared everyone was in a coma.

"I think the media is blowing it up in the other regions," said Ray's dad. "People were going unconscious, but fortunately they were really easy to wake up. It was kinda weird, actually—I was one of the ones who passed out, and I had a cool dream. I was a Pokémon, or something. Anyhow… only about a third of us were affected. So no plane crashes, no pileups, nothing disastrous."

"Okay," Ray sighed, full of relief.

"Bye, son. Good luck with the League if you're going all the way!"

"Thanks! Bye." Ray returned the C-Gear to his wrist.

"Who was that?" Kristy asked.

"My dad, and Gabe's dad," Ray said. "Hoenn's doing fine, but they can't lift the emergency thing for another week."

"Well," Stanley said, unfazed. "Not like we're leaving for another week anyway, if you're staying for the tournament."

"Yeah, I am," Ray said.

"I wonder if _my_ parents'll call me," Kristy said, gazing at the ground.

That killed the conversation for a while. Ray looked at the modest houses as he walked past, until he remembered he had to make another phone call.

"Hello, this is Lenora," said the woman over the phone.

"Hi, it's Ray."

"Oh, hello, Ray," Lenora said. "I just finished talking to Skyla. You've got your sixth badge! That's excellent. And she says your evolved fossil pokemon, Armaldo, is great on the battlefield."

"Thanks," Ray said shyly. "I'm calling cause the egg hatched a while ago, and I forgot to call you in the whole mess with the—"

"I understand. So what species was it, then?"

"Archen—"

"It's pronounced 'ar-ken,'" corrected Lenora. "Sorry—I couldn't help it! Well, take good care of it, Ray. It'll grow into a real powerful Pokémon, I bet."

"Anything else I should do?"

"Oh, I won't bother you with data collection or anything," Lenora said, laughing. "Just keep taking good care of it. And be sure to stop by and show me sometime. It wouldn't hurt to show Juniper too, actually."

"Thanks," Ray said.

"Take care."

"You too, bye." Click.

"Done with the phone calls?" Stanley asked.

"Yeah," Ray said. "Sorry."

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way."

* * *

><p>After some more walking and talking, they finally made it out of town.<p>

"And we're on the road again!" Stanley said, excited. "Finally."

As they walked down the road, which slithered across some bright, grassy plains, Ray relaxed. He felt everything was starting to work out, starting to untangle. He wasn't even worried about Terral—he'd come back soon, he was sure of it.


	3. Transformation

The grass ahead abruptly became taller than Spolt and Dax, and even the road disappeared from view.

Kristy stopped walking in disbelief. In front of her was a wall of tall grass. "We have to go through _here_?" she said.

"Hoenn's got really tall grass like this too, in some places," Stanley said.

"It's not as bad as the desert," Ray observed as he withdrew Dax and Felsin.

"Okay, fine," Kristy said, unclipping one of her Poké Balls. "But Sandile's gonna help me."

As her Krokorok surveyed the tall grass, Stanley said, "You know he's not a Sandile anymore, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't like the name Krokorok." Kristy gazed at her Pokémon, who grinned back at her. "I'm gonna keep calling him Sandile."

"That'll be confusing," Ray said. "Anyways, let's go." They began wading through the grass, with Spolt leading the way.

Soon they came across thin walkways that rose up above the grass.

"Hey, look at this!" Ray called, climbing up on top of one.

Stanley and Kristy joined him. "I used to do this on a bike," Stanley said as they balanced their way across. "Don't lose your balance—whoa!" He lurched over one way, then the other.

He didn't fall, though, and they walked up there until the walkway ended. Then they went through the grass again, together.

"Why don't they just cut all this grass?" Ray said. "It's like—"

Spolt barked, and a Tranquill took off from the grass ahead. It cried out angrily, but departed without a fight.

"Just a bird," Ray said.

"You wanted to fight it?" Kristy asked.

"Not really." Ray didn't go out of his way to hunt for wild Pokémon to fight. Most of them were flighty anyways… Ray liked to tell himself it was because his Pokémon were awesome.

They made it through the grass uneventfully, with the help of some more walkways. They had gone by some houses, wondering why someone would live there and not cut the grass. There had been several other wild Pokémon, but it only took a few electric moves from Spolt to scare them off.

In front of them rose a great mountain that cut into the sky. The road ended, and a rock path went up the steep side of the mountain. There was an opening at the end of it.

"Twist Mountain," Kristy said. "Clay talked to me about it. A lot."

"Let's go, then," Stanley said. "Before it gets dark."

"Someone's up there," Kristy pointed out.

As they climbed up to the mountain's entrance, they found a Trainer battling, blocking the opening.

"Kick his butt, Mightyena!" he urged.

Ray peered over his shoulder. The Trainer's Mightyena looked pretty ragged, and didn't stand a chance against the opponent's Fraxure.

"Excuse me," Kristy said, pushing past the guy right as his Mightyena fainted. She gasped. "Your Pokémon is really dirty!" Its fur was matted—lying there unconscious, it practically looked diseased.

"Shut up," said the guy. As Ray entered, he saw his face, and recognized him.

"You're the guy I chased before!" Ray exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry about that," he said. "They let me off in a sort of bargain thing with… you know, it's a long story." He held out his hand. "Let's start over. I'm Chuck."

Confused, Ray shook his hand cautiously. "I'm Ray."

The inside of the mountain was surprisingly spacious. Whoever made the interior tunnels had taken care to make enough space for large Pokémon.

"Good match?" said Chuck's opponent. He looked shamefaced, like he was guilty to have fought such a raggedy Pokémon. "You better go heal your dog or something, since that was you only Pokémon." He and his Fraxure left through the entranceway.

"I agree with that guy," Stanley said. The Mightyena was passed out and beat up. "At least withdraw the poor thing."

Chuck obliged hastily and said, "Hey, can I travel with you guys? You're going to all the Gyms, right?"

Ray, Stanley, and Kristy exchanged looks with each other. No one wanted him to tag along.

"You better turn around and go to Mistralton City, and heal your Mightyena," Kristy ordered. "Then you have to, like, take care of it!"

"But I do!"

"No you don't."

"He's _fine_—"

"I don't want to know how you were let off so easily for it, but you stole that woman's Pokémon before," Stanley interrupted. "Did you do it because you wanted a strong Pokémon?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"That's not gonna do you any good." Stanley turned and gazed out towards the horizon. "You have to be good together—it's not just the Pokémon."

"But _how _do I become a good Trainer, then?" Chuck demanded. "Not with a _weak _Pokémon."

"Your Mightyena isn't weak," Stanley said. He spoke confidently, like he had said the same things before. He clearly knew what he was talking about. "You're just not treating it right. Look at Ray's Manectric—all clean, healthy, right there next to him. Your Mightyena looked like it wanted to run away from you. Pokémon are your best friends, not—"

"Okay, I see what you mean. I _should _heal Mightyena," Chuck said, missing the point. "I… well, I guess you're not going that way. I'll see you guys later." He took off down the path.

Kristy crossed her arms and watched Chuck depart. "He'll see us later? What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I don't wanna hang around him," said Ray. "But his Mightyena…"

"I _know! _I have to steal it and give it a bath or something."

"Well, at least you'd be stealing for a good reason." They all turned and went inside the mountain.

As the tunnel darkened, becoming lit only by dim bulbs at wide intervals, Spolt led the way, with Kristy's Buizel riding on top of him. When they emerged on the other side, they were high up on wooden platforms. They were inside the crater of the mountain.

"We have to get down there," Kristy said. "It's through one of these tunnels."

"Why don't they just build stairs or something?" Ray asked.

"Clay said that was a project he wanted to get started on," Kristy answered as they went back inside. "Maybe he could've started if you hadn't flooded his Gym."

"Sorry?"

They eventually made it to the bottom. Outside, standing in the sun, was a Trainer with a faded, dark green uniform. He was tinkering with something in his hands. As everyone walked past, he looked up and suddenly became shocked. Eyes wide, he put the object in his pocket and embraced Stanley suddenly.

"Stanley!" he said warmly, as if meeting an old friend. "What—what're you doing here?"

"I… huh?" Stanley said. He stared blankly for a second, but then his face suddenly turned shocked. "Logan?"

"Yeah!" Logan said, bouncing on his feet. "It's so cool you're here, I have something to show you." He pulled out the object again. It was sort of shaped like a diamond, but flat on the top.

Logan rotated it slowly in his hands as if it was precious as a _real_ diamond. "I repainted it neon blue. This baby is—"

"Hold on! We have to catch up first," Stanley interrupted. He pulled Logan to the side, and they talked at a distance from Ray and Kristy.

"Who do you think he is?" Ray whispered.

"I'm sure Stanley'll tell us later," Kristy said. "I just hope he doesn't try to tag along like the other guy."

Logan's high voice rose, agitated. "You're not rejoining?" he said, crestfallen.

Stanley's voice was barely audible. "It's not the right place for me anymore."

Logan skipped back to where Ray and Kristy were standing. "I want to show you what I've been working on, Stanley!" he said eagerly. "Your… friends can watch, too." He pulled out a remote control device, and it was blue like the diamond-shaped object. As he waved the controller like a baton, the diamond came to life. It flew over the ground effortlessly, humming like some sort of tiny spaceship.

"I've upgraded this Styler with the energy of evolution, Stanley," Logan said seriously. "It's unlike anything you've ever seen. It's got a couple new powers."

"…Like what?" Stanley said slowly.

Logan dropped the Styler to his feet. It hovered mysteriously, as if awaiting his next move. "Well, I haven't tested it yet. But it should work on Trainer Pokémon."

"Why would you want to do that?" blurted Kristy. "Rangers work with _wild_ Pokémon, don't they?"

"They're Rangers?" Ray asked. Kristy gave him the withering _of course _look. The only Rangers Ray knew were from TV, and none of them had had that diamond Styler thing.

"You wouldn't understand," Logan dismissed. "Anyway, Stanley, that's just a bonus from the added power. The best thing is that it can store the energy given off when Pokémon evolve." He spoke faster. "You know the bright light? That's all energy. Pokémon give it off all the time, and it spikes during evolution. It's a transformative energy... it's almost like magic.

"The Styler captured that before, you know. But it was in trace amounts, and the Styler always gave it back. Now, it keeps it. The energy is so powerful—if you unleash it on a Pokémon, it'll evolve on the spot. You don't even need Thunderstones or what have you."

"Wouldn't that be unhealthy?" Kristy said.

"C'mon, Logan," Stanley pleaded. "Can't we just talk for a second? It's been like years—"

"Let me finish!" Logan urged. "If the Pokémon's evolved already, the energy'll just supercharge it. At least, that's what I think'll happen."

"Logan," Stanley said exasperatedly, "why are you doing all this? A Styler that can work on Trainer Pokémon, or force evolution… Are you trying to use it to buy your way back into the Rangers?"

"That's _not_ what I'm doing," Logan replied. "Besides, those aren't even the most interesting parts. I believe the evolution thing works on humans, too."

"How?" everyone else said at once. Humans didn't exactly have an evolutionary chain, unless you counted the one that was millions of years in the making.

"The science is too complicated to explain here," Logan said, even though he was all for explaining everything else. "But my conclusion is that… no, let me show you." He urged the diamond shape back into motion.

"Well, hold on!" Stanley said. "Who are you doing it to? You can't just do it when you haven't tested it!"

"How else am I gonna test it?" Logan argued. "Jeez, Stanley, I thought you would support me."

"I _do _support you, but what you're doing is wrong."

Logan slumped. "I _knew _you were gonna say it. I just knew it. "

"Somebody care to explain to us?" Kristy called.

"I didn't know Stanley used to be a Ranger," Ray commented. "I thought he was from Hoenn. Aren't Rangers, like, way far away? Places like… Orre, maybe?"

"No, that's a different place," Kristy said absentmindedly. She was watching the two supposed Rangers talk.

"Everything is reversible with the Styler, you know that," Logan said. "All I have to do is click the release, and you'd be back to normal."

"You've made the Styler volatile, I can see it in the way it moves," Stanley contended. "It's… it's dying to lose control."

"You're making that up."

"Logan, you and I know everything there is to know about this. We both know the forces manipulated by the Styler were chosen _carefully_. I don't think you should go trying to harness others." His voice became soft: "Can't we just… talk for a bit?"

"Look, I _know _it'll work. I've busted my brain with these calculations, and I've checked every one countless times." He waved his baton, and the Styler began to circle around Stanley. It drew a trail of light as it moved, and each time the trail connected with itself a burst of energy was emitted. With each burst, Stanley let out a shocked grunt. No matter how he moved, the Styler adjusted itself, maintaining a circle around him.

Ray jumped forward at once. "Hey, stop that!"

"I'll _show_ you it's reversible!" Logan said with confidence that seemed less than sane. "Trust me!"

"No, stop!" Kristy cried. Stanley was walking sluggishly. "What if it _kills _him, or something?"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic."

"Spolt, attack the diamond thing!" Ray ordered. His Manectric dutifully attacked with a shock of electricity, but the Styler dodged and began to loop around _him._

"What do you think you're doing?" Ray yelled. He tried to step in the way of the Styler, but it just wove around him. When he swiped at the trail of light, it broke, but it also delivered a shock of energy.

"Gah!" Ray said, falling over. He hadn't felt a zap like that since stepping on Spolt once in the middle of the night.

Kristy, in the meantime, was trying to get at Logan. But he had let out a hulking Nidoqueen, and the Pokémon blocked the way menacingly like a bodyguard. Buizel squealed in terror, and Kristy knew it wouldn't be worth fighting the poisonous Pokémon. She backed off and went to help Ray.

"Stop, Logan!" Ray cried as she helped him up. "That's my_ Pokémon_!" Spolt was bathed in a blue, electric glow, and he was trembling. "What the hell are you doing to him?"

Logan waved the baton purposefully, but Spolt didn't obey. In fact, he sat down in confusion, staring from Ray to Logan.

"What's wrong?" Logan said to himself. He shook the baton like kid frustrated with a toy, but it didn't fix anything.

Then Spolt suddenly snapped out of it, and leapt to Ray's side, whimpering.

"See?" Logan said. "Reversible, like always."

"What's the big idea?" Ray yelled.

"Logan…" Stanley said quietly. He crouched over. "I still feel strange…"

"Look what you've done!" cried Kristy.

"I guess it won't be undone unless we go all the way, Stanley," Logan said. He looked to Ray and Kristy for approval. "Otherwise, you'll be stuck sick like that."

"F—fine!" Stanley moaned.

"You better not screw things up!" Kristy cried.

Logan smiled to himself and continued looping around Stanley, creating a loud humming noise. Ray and Kristy brought their Pokémon close and watched as Stanley began to glow white.

An even brighter flash of light, and then Logan stopped. Stanley was too bright to look at.

"Oh no," Logan said over all the humming. "Low power? It shouldn't use it up so fast!"

When the light faded away, a huge bird was lying before them. It had red feathers on its back, and slate-colored ones on its underside. The tail feathers fanned out low, wavering slightly with each breath. Its sharp beak was gaping open. And it was still wearing Stanley's clothes! Ray couldn't believe his eyes, but Logan sprang forward and tried to wake it up.

"See, Stanley?" he cried. He lifted the sleeping Pokémon's head, but he didn't respond. "Wake up! You're a Pokémon!" He looked up into the sky triumphantly. "It works! Yes!"

The Styler beeped urgently, as if to differ. It fizzled out and suddenly shut off.

And Stanley didn't turn back.

Everyone stared at his new form in silence.

"Reversible, right?" Ray said quietly. "You said it undoes itself."

"Well…" Logan said, twiddling the Styler in his hands. "It messed up something. I think it's something to do with the power management—"

"Turn him back _now_," Kristy demanded.

"St—Stanley's stuck for now," Logan said nervously. He tapped the bird's head. "Wake up, Stanley."

The bird didn't respond.

"He's not waking up," Logan said obviously. "Wake up!" He became desperate. "Wake up wake up wake up!" He knelt down and hugged the Pokémon—

"Okay, look, he's not _dead_," Ray said. "Don't get all crazy about it."

"What're we gonna do?" wondered Kristy. "Nobody will believe what we tell them, and what if Stanley's in a coma?"

"He better not," Ray muttered. One friend in a coma was more than enough.

"I gotta go work on the Styler," Logan said suddenly. "You—you have to take care of him." He gazed down at bird-Stanley, then released a Kadabra. He was going to teleport.

"You can't just _leave_!" Kristy yelled. "This is all your responsibility!"

"At least take us with you," suggested Ray.

"I can't…" Logan said. He glanced from Ray to Stanley, back and forth. "I have… greater plans for this thing, and I _know _you won't like it. You'll try to stop me. Stanley was going to stop me." He looked down sadly at the sleeping bird. "I… I'm sorry, Stanley." He bent over, as if to feel Stanley's feathers, but he changed his mind. "I was… I'm still trying to make things right, you know?"

"I sure hope he can hear you, after all that," Kristy said disapprovingly. "So far you're making things worse."

"Whatever those things are," Ray added. "Look, Logan—"

"No!" Logan said. "When I perfect this thing, I'll come back, but only after I get things running. Bye… and bye, Stanley. Don't worry, I'll fix things. In the meantime, he can enjoy being a Pokémon." Logan grabbed onto his Kadabra—

"Wait!" Ray yelled, reaching out to grab him. But he was too late. He stumbled forward, then turned around, disappointed. "He just left us here."

"Stanley's still not turning back," Kristy observed. "Or waking up. Let's get his clothes off, they've gotta be uncomfortable."

"Heh."

"Oh, shut up."

They pulled off his clothes, nearly ripping the shirts in the process. Once that was done, Ray pulled out his Pokédex and scanned Stanley.

"Braviary—_Valiant Pokémon_," read the short version of the entry. "Native to only northern Unova, these large birds of prey are more loyal than any other. There are reports of them carrying vehicles, and wild Braviary display a distinct social order, giving most respect to battle-worn elders. _See full entry._"

"This Pokémon's pretty cool," Ray concluded aloud. Stanley's breathing quivered, as if hearing him.

Noticing the change, Ray approached Stanley slowly. "Hello? Stanley?"

The bird opened its eyes slowly, then jumped up energetically. Standing up tall, he was big as any other fully-evolved bird. He stumbled over, waving his wings as if they were arms. He was, understandably, incredibly fascinated with himself.

He was purposefully facing away from them. "Stanley!" Ray called. "We're over here."

The bird turned his way shyly and squawked. He looked distressed.

"I hope he isn't, like… you know, like a wild animal," Kristy said. "He _is _technically a wild Pokémon, isn't he?"

Stanley shook his head carefully, to show that he was still sentient and sane. He just couldn't talk.

"Stanley," Ray said, "I guess you're a Braviary now. Logan ran away, and we don't know where he is."

Stanley examined himself, looking at all his colorful feathers. He squawked at Ray again, making it sound sort of like a question.

"What do we do?" Ray pondered.

Stanley squawked once more and walked forward awkwardly, digging through his clothes on the ground. He picked up a Poké Ball in his beak, and gave it to Ray.

Ray opened the ball and released his Fearow, Tretters. As he came out, he saw Stanley and immediately cawed happily—he seemed to recognize his Trainer. They turned one way and then the other, examining each other meticulously like dogs would. They were almost exactly the same size. Ray wondered what it was like, being a Pokémon… and hanging out with your own Pokémon. He felt a bit jealous for Stanley, despite the chance he could be stuck as a bird forever.

"We have to get you back to normal!" Kristy said. "That kid, Logan…"

Stanley shrugged his wings and walked awkwardly to his backpack. He struggled to open it for a moment, but he got it before Ray could offer to help. Stanley rummaged through the bag with his beak and pulled out a worn case. He held his head out to Ray, like he was offering the case to him.

Ray took the case from Stanley's beak. Inside was the same kind of device Logan had used: A weird remote control, with a spinning top attached. It was licensed to Stanley A. Swing. Unlike Logan's, which had been repainted, Stanley's bore plenty of scratches, like it had been used for a long time. Stanley turned away when Ray glanced back up at him.

"So you're a Ranger," Ray said. "That's pretty cool. I never saw you use this. Anyway, Kristy… that guy Logan said he studied something, right?"  
>"The energy of evolution," Kristy said. "He must've had a big lab to do that research, right?"<p>

"Yeah, exactly," Ray said. "I have an idea."

* * *

><p>Across the continent, Professor Juniper put down a frothing beaker in order to pick up the phone.<p>

"Hi, how are you, Ray?" she asked. "I'm kinda busy at the moment—"

"We only need a minute," Ray said hastily. "I know you've done, like, research on evolution. Do you ever take interns?"

Juniper scrambled for some tongs. "Well, I've only had one. Logan Swing, he's—ouch—he's really smart, but he quit in the middle. He didn't even share his research with me. Why, you wanna do research with me?"

"No, I was looking for info about Logan. We have to find him. Do you know where he lives?"

"…Opelucid. Why do you want him?"

"It's kind of… well… you wouldn't believe us."

"Just tell me. I've seen plenty of ridiculous things in my lifetime. And that's not even a long time, either."

"He turned my friend Stanley into a Pokémon."

Juniper put down her work. "You know, other people have called me before… about things like that happening. They were all fake. You're not like that Ray, so I'll take your word for it, but I can't exactly call the police. Logan has a clean record, and this story's too ridiculous for you to go and tell people about. You just finished the whole mess with the convergence thing."

"Just tell us his address, please, and we'll go catch him."

Juniper frowned. "Well, alright. Just promise me you won't get yourself hurt. Good luck."

"Okay," Ray said. After Juniper recited Logan's address, he said thanks and hung up.

"Logan's just as good a kid, though…" Juniper said to herself as she grabbed a pipette. "I just wish he showed what he'd been working on. Looked like he was onto something _huge_." She shook her head and went back to science.

* * *

><p>Ray and Kristy walked on through the mountain, accompanied by Spolt and Buizel. Stanley was practically learning to walk again, but at least Tretters seemed to be helping him.<p>

"We'll catch him," Ray said after Stanley cried out once in frustration. "Don't worry."

"Hey, Stanley, at least you turned into a pretty Pokémon," Kristy added.

"Pretty, as in pretty cool," Ray said indignantly.

Kristy pushed Ray playfully. "I like the blue parts of the tail feathers. Can I see the Pokédex entry?"

As Kristy looked through Ray's Dex, Ray went over everything in his head, like he imagined a detective would. Logan had turned Stanley into a Braviary using a powered-up Styler thing that Rangers use. He had used evolutionary energy, which could apparently transform humans.

Stanley and Logan were both Rangers, with the same last name. They both knew each other well. Ray had a ton of questions, but he couldn't ask them. Whatever Stanley knew, he couldn't tell anyone in his current state. Instead, Ray just walked on through the caves with Kristy, occasionally glancing back at Stanley and Tretters to see if they were keeping up.


	4. Reunion

Stanley flapped his new red wings vigorously, following Tretters through the buffeting wind. The two birds were flying way up high, while the humans and other Pokémon walked below. Twist Mountain reached up through the atmosphere behind them. The air was thin, but refreshingly cool.

Ahead was the next town, Icirrus City.

"This is amazing!" Stanley cried over the wind. He had flown on Tretters many times, but it was nothing like flying on his own.

"Let's descend," Tretters called. "Let's talk."

Stanley sank down until the wind was much quieter. He was still at least a hundred feet above the ground, but that didn't worry him. Tretters appeared next to him, and the two of them flew side by side.

"How do you like it?" Tretters said. "Being… a bird. One of us!"

Stanley was flying without even thinking about it. It came naturally. "I still can't believe you're talking to me," he said.

"I can't believe you're finally hearing." Tretters looked cheerful, for once. "Looks like you're a natural flier."

"I don't know, it's kinda easy," Stanley said. "Unless I know from watching _you_ do it my whole life."

"Stanley, I have so many things I want to tell you. You need to listen to me for a bit."

"Okay."

"Remember the first time you made me fight? When we were still… when you were still a Ranger?"

"Of course I remember. Especially after seeing Logan again."

"I want you to know that I forgave you as soon as we left for Hoenn. You took me with you, and I loved you for that. I was afraid you were going to release me."

"Don't worry," Stanley said. "No need to explain yourself."

Tretters nodded. "I must also tell you that Nidorina and I talked a lot, right before we split up years ago. She said it wasn't Logan's idea. It was some friend of his, and peers were always good at getting him to do things."

"That's all in the past, though, you know what I mean? Let's talk about current stuff."

"Well, I tried to call out to Nidorina when we ran into Logan back there. She was evolved and everything. I was too shocked to say much."

"Did she say anything back?"

"She was ignoring me, I think. She probably expected to see a little Spearow."

"Well, we're definitely going to find Logan, so we can figure out what's going on." Stanley glanced down at the humans, seeing everything with his sharp vision. "So can Pokémon really understand everything humans say?"

"Those of us who are lucky enough to find a good human companion eventually acquire the ability to understand what humans say," Tretters explained. "At least, that's my theory. I talked it over with Terral, and he agreed."

"Speaking of Terral, did he say he was coming back?"

"No. But I'm sure he will. He loves Ray too much to just abandon him."

"That's good… Uh, can we land now? I'm getting tired."

"Already? Well, alright. I guess you have to work on your endurance."

As they descended to the ground, Stanley's wings began to give way. Tretters landed cleanly like always, but Stanley crashed into the ground and tumbled forward, knocking Spolt over. Both Pokémon ended up lying on the ground.

"Nice of you to _drop _in," the Manectric said, jumping up quickly and shaking off some dirt. "I almost zapped you from reflex!"

"Sorry, Spolt," huffed Stanley from his resting place on the ground.

Spolt stood over him. "Still not bad for your first flight. Terral crashed lots of times before he figured it out. I guess that's what all the steel's for, huh?"

"Well, Skarmory wings are pretty weird," Tretters pointed out. "Probably a tougher learning curve."

"You alright, Stanley?" Ray asked. He moved to help Stanley up, but couldn't figure out how to do that, exactly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Stanley said, standing up on his own. "Thanks, though." Spolt chuckled to himself.

"Icirrus City's up ahead," Kristy said. "And then after that is Opelucid." Her Buizel was gone—in his ball, probably.

"I gotta talk to Logan…" Stanley murmured.

"What was up with that guy, anyway?" Spolt said as everyone started walking. Ray and Kristy were talking, too, but Stanley only paid attention to the Pokémon conversation.

"Well, he's my brother," Stanley said. "I mean, it's a long story."

"We've got time," Spolt pointed out.

"Well, I used to be a Pokémon Ranger," Stanley explained. "So did Logan. We were really good. Like, near the top. Back then the Rangers were strict about having, you know, one Pokémon companion, and the rest are just temporary friends to use to help others. There was this whole thing about Trainers back then. How they would have lots of Pokémon, captured in balls. That was unlike anything we were used to. And the Trainers would make their Pokémon fight each other. For fun. They got hurt for fun. That's how we saw it.

"So Logan and I, we decided to have a battle. It was one-on-one, of course, my Spearow against his Nidorina. We were caught, and it blew up into this big scandal. People were saying that we tortured our Pokémon, forcing them to fight till they dropped! I know it sounds stupid, but it was horrible. Logan overreacted and told me we had to run away. They were going to kick us out of the Rangers.

"While we were getting ready to leave, Logan fought with me about whose fault it was. We both got boat tickets to Hoenn, but he changed his to Unova at the last minute. I went and lived in Hoenn. If anyone asked, I told them I was from Hoenn. I eventually got Tretters into a ball, and became a Trainer. I never saw Logan again, until he turned me into this bird here."

"Wow, sounds like that sucks," Spolt said.

"And apparently Rangers here are Trainers too. I think the Union might've changed things after we left. I wanted to tell Logan that."

"Well, whatever," Spolt said. "You'll see him soon, bro. Next stop, Icirrus City."

"Let's fly some more," Tretters urged. "Walking is awkward, isn't it?"

Stanley agreed, and followed Tretters into the sky again despite his sore wings.

"Baw, I wanna talk to _my_ Trainer," Spolt said to himself. He looked up at Ray, who was busy talking to Kristy. "Hey, Ray."

No response. Ray and Kristy were laughing and bumping into each other.

Spolt sighed and watched the birds in the sky. He knew Ray loved him and all that, but he wanted to _talk_. And he couldn't just start doing sign language or elaborate charades—Pokémon just never communicated like that.

If Ray became a Pokémon, on the other hand…

Spolt dismissed the thought. He wouldn't wish for something irreversible to happen to Ray. It would suck a great deal if Ray permanently became a Wurmple or something.

"Hey Ray," Spolt said futilely. "You should let out Dax, so we can talk. I'm feeling kinda mopey, man."

Ray turned to Spolt, and it gave the Manectric a brief feeling of excited elation—that the human had actually heard him. But it wasn't so.

"Don't worry Spolt, we're almost there," Ray said, petting Spolt's mane.

Spolt sighed again and let himself enjoy the strokes of Ray's hand. That would be enough, for now.

* * *

><p>"Icirrus City," Ray declared. The home of the seventh Gym was even less busy than Mistralton. Houses were sparse and far apart, often coupled with windmills, and paved streets only ran north-south, like a road through the city.<p>

Ray looked around as they went onto one of the streets. There only seemed to be houses. Most of them had lights on, because the sun was setting. "Okay. Are we just gonna skip the Gym now, cause we have to catch Logan?"

"Well, maybe there's some shopping to do," Kristy said.

"Wow, you're really—"

"Yes, I'm being serious! You should buy some fun stuff for your Pokémon." Kristy's furious demeanor dared Ray to disagree.

"Okay! Fine... but we have to hurry and all that. _What?_"

Kristy was giggling again. "Sorry, I just can't believe you took that face seriously. Actually, there's a mall on Route 9. So we can just shop there."

"Oh, wow…"

"It's getting kinda late, too, I guess. Better to sleep on the road than in town."

"Really, you'd rather sleep on the road?"

"I wouldn't want to sleep with a bunch of strangers. And I doubt there's an inn or anything here."

"No, I mean that's cool. People look at me weird when I tell them I like to camp out."

As they walked through town, a middle-aged man hailed them from his front door.

"Hey! You two look like great contestants!" he called.

"What do you mean?" Ray called back.

"Answer quiz questions, win a prize! It's fun!"

"You wanna do it?" Ray asked Kristy.

"Sure. I doubt they're out to get us."

"Come on in!" the man beckoned as they approached his home. But at the front door, Ray realized something.

"I can't withdraw Stanley unless I, you know, catch him," Ray told Kristy. A rustling from behind indicated that Stanley had overheard him.

Ray turned and saw that Stanley had backed away. The Braviary was genuinely anxious to be captured, to the amusement of Spolt and Tretters.

"Come on, Stanley, it's not like I'll lock you in there forever. We just have to go indoors."

"Yeah, you'll knock over things," Kristy added.

"And I'm not letting you just hang out outside. Some other Trainer might catch you, and _then_ what'll we do?"

Stanley squawked defiantly and shook his head.

"You know flying-types are weak against electrics, right?" Ray said. He pretended to be scheming. "I can catch you easily with Spolt, or you can just go without a struggle…"

Spolt gaped, obviously unwilling to attack or even stun Stanley. Even so, the Braviary decided to give up. He ducked his head down, shaking slightly, waiting to be captured. Ray pulled a spare ball from his bag, activated it, and tapped Stanley lightly on the head. In seconds, the Braviary was inside, and the ball settled without a single shake.

"Time for some… quizzing, I guess." Ray said, withdrawing Tretters and Spolt.

Inside, a woman, presumably the man's wife, led Ray and Kristy to the middle of the room. Another girl, their daughter by the looks of things, watched the proceedings with excitement. The living room had a big TV, but it was muted.

"Exciting! Thrilling! Zippy! Chilling!" the woman recited. "It's Pep Quiz! Today's challenger is… well, _two _challengers!" Ray wondered if he was on one of those hidden camera shows.

The man from before was seated behind a long, low table. "Hiya," he said.

"Hi—"

"Pep Quiz starts _now! _Answer lots of quizzy questions, and watch your brain get brainier! Let's start with YOU!" He pointed at Ray dramatically.

"Good luck!" the girl said.

"Thanks—"

"A question!" prompted the man. "What is the unevolved Pokémon that changes its form seasonally?"

"Oh, my!" the woman said, pacing back and forth. "It's tremendously difficult! Can the challenger answer this?"

Ray was positive either he was on a show, or this family was insane. "Um." He glanced back at Kristy—she was quiet, but her eyes blazed like she was trying to telepathically stab Ray in the head with the answer.

Ray figured he couldn't consult the Pokédex. It was a Pokémon that changed with the seasons. There was Castform, right? Wait, that's weather—

"Hint!" chanted the little girl. "Give 'em a hint!"

"Whoa, the audience is asking for a hint!" the man cried.

Their crazy acting was starting to get on Ray's nerves. Almost as bad as the Trick Master in Hoenn. "You gotta be kidding me—"

"Oh, I'll give you a hint!" the woman giggled. "It's not from space!"

"_What?"_ Which Pokémon _were_ from space?

"Hah, good hint!" the man said to his wife. "Challenger, please answer! What is the unevolved Pokémon that changes its form seasonally?"

If Ray didn't know, then it was probably a Unova Pokémon. And unevolved…

"Wait!" Ray exclaimed. "I know! It's Deerling!" He remembered seeing a poster showing the four seasonal versions of Sawsbuck… and he knew Deerling was the prevolved form.

"Woo-hoo!" the man cheered. "That's Absol-lutely correct!"

"Amazing job!" said his wife.

"Congratulations! Now—"

A sudden thump from the ceiling interrupted the weird quiz show. The quiz man got up quickly and headed for the door, saying, "That's not part of the quiz!"

A blue, winged dragon Pokémon was perched outside on the roof, growling ferociously. It had sharp claws, jagged wings, and red spikes all over. The head was also red, and the eyes were fiery with rage. The Pokémon roared and began to claw at the roof. Shingles flew to the ground.

"Ah, the house!" the quiz man yelled once his family was a safe distance away. It was a relief he was acting like a normal, unquizzy person. "My roof!"

"I'll help." Ray quickly pulled a ball from his belt. "Go, Spolt!" he said.

"Give me your Dex, I'll look it up," Kristy said.

Ray handed the device over, then gave Spolt a command: "Stop it with Thunder Wave!"

Spolt was about to perform the move when a trail of ice from afar struck the angry dragon Pokémon in the head. It briefly became doubly ferocious, but the continued Ice Beam attack had a chilling effect. The Pokémon eventually slowed to a stop and just sat there on the roof, staring into space like a statue.

"Oh, it becomes immobile when its temperature drops," Kristy read from the Pokédex. "Druddigon, the, uh, cave Pokémon."

"Quite a few live in Dragonspiral Tower," said a man in a light blue robe decorated with zigzags to look sort of like ice. "When it wakes up, the rage will have passed, and it'll go home." He nodded at Ray. "Thank you for what would have been helpful assistance."

"Oh, thanks so much for getting rid of that Druddigon, Brycen!" the quiz man said. He glanced up at his roof before ushering his family indoors.

"That Druddigon was angry because something drove it from Dragonspiral Tower," Brycen said to Ray and Kristy. "I see you're both Trainers—why don't you come with me to see what it is? I've got to solve this little problem before night falls completely."

"Sure," Ray said. "That was you doing the Ice Beam, right?"

"Unfortunately, no. It was my Pokémon." He smiled to himself.

Kristy gave Ray back his Dex. "Aren't you the Gym Leader?"

"That's right." Brycen looked back at Spolt, then at Ray. "Are you two collecting badges?"

"Yeah, we both have six," Kristy said. "That sorta means we have to fight you next!"

"Well, I'll be waiting… after we solve this little mystery!"

* * *

><p>All of a sudden there was a blinding flash of light, and Stanley was returned to the real world. He was on a black pathway, surrounded by water. At the end of the pathway was a huge tower constructed from the same stone. The pathway went right into the tower's base through an arch made from newer stone.<p>

Ray, Kristy, and Spolt were there, along with some guy in an ice-blue bathrobe.

"Hi Stanley!" Spolt said. "How's the ball treating you?"

"It's a lot better than I thought!" Stanley said. "It had this amazing cliff you could jump off, and you'd never reach bottom, but the top was always right there for me."

"Sounds pretty fun. I mean, if you're a bird—"

"Okay guys!" Ray told the Pokémon. "There's a Pokémon in this tower, driving out the Druddigon things. We're going to see what's up with it. We might have to fight." The humans let Stanley and Spolt lead the way.

"Well, this should be interesting," Spolt said. "Let's go."

The tower was quite spacious inside, with huge stairs that spiraled around the circumference. Everyone began to ascend, and Stanley wondered how tall the tower was. Without asking anybody—Ray wouldn't understand anyway—he flew up and began to investigate himself.

Flying became easier and easier! As he ascended the tower effortlessly, Stanley had the feeling he wasn't particularly strong, and that Braviary were just strong fliers. Still, he felt he was getting the hang of it—

Something suddenly slammed Stanley in midair, and a high-pitched cry echoed throughout the tower. Stanley cried out in pain as he—and someone else—crashed into the wall of the tower.

Stanley fell to the nearest level of stairs, and steel talons immediately pinned him down. He realized with dread that the Pokémon the humans were looking for was assaulting him.

Stanley looked up desperately, out of breath. The Pokémon attacking him was a Skarmory.

They made eye contact. "Hold on," the Skarmory said. "I think I know you. Who are you? Tell me."

"Terral… it's me, Stanley. The human. I got turned into a Braviary."

Terral stepped off Stanley's neck suspiciously. "How is that even possible?" He watched Stanley like he was still a potential threat.

"It's a long story."

"Where's your Fearow, then?" Terral demanded.

"I don't know, but Ray's coming up the stairs."

"Huh—what the!" Terral cried. Ray had snuck up and jumped on him from behind, hugging the bird so tightly he almost lost his balance.

"I missed you so much!" Ray whispered. His eyes were closed, and he was still hugging his Skarmory around the neck. "I knew I'd find you."

"That's a relief," Terral replied gently. "Guilt's a horrible thing."

Kristy and the robed Trainer appeared too. "Terral's back!" Kristy said cheerfully. She taunted Ray. "I toooold you!"

Ray dismounted Terral, and they gazed at each other. Stanley knew they were exchanging something there—a mixture of feelings. Maybe _that's_ how Trainers were supposed to talk to their Pokémon. Stanley didn't have such an intimate bond with Ray, but he could still see regret, hope, excitement, and happiness most of all. It brought back memories of when he worked as a Ranger with Tretters… and Logan.

"I've known you a very long time, Ray," Terral said, even through Ray couldn't hear him. "Too long to just leave for good."

Spolt padded up to Terral gleefully. "You're back!" he said. "I missed ya."

"Is that Skarmory yours?" the robed man asked. He looked a bit surprised.

"That reminds me," Terral said. "I need to battle someone to show Ray how good I am." He turned to Stanley, spreading his sharp wings. "Let's do it."

"But this is, like, my first day as a Pokémon!" Stanley protested with a squawk. "I don't know how to fight! Can't you just wait until Ray battles with you?"

Terral folded his wings. "I _guess _I can…"

"Well, ready to go, Terral?" Ray asked.

Terral didn't respond.

"Oh, that's right," Kristy said. "You have to rename him, I think."

"She's right, Ray," Terral murmured. "I hate my name, and all the failures I've committed under it. I'm Terral the runaway, Terral the insecure reject and deserter. Terral Terral Terral. What does that name even mean? I guess it means failure."

"He should rename you Rayquaza," Spolt said. "That would be _so fun_. He'd be like, go Rayquaza! And everyone would freak out, and then once they saw you they'd get confused—"

"That's stupid."

"Whatever you say, Rayquaza. Oh I know! He can just call you Quaza, and then we'd call you Ray's-Quaza!"

Stanley laughed hard. He enjoyed being with these Pokémon, he really did.

* * *

><p>"Are you guys even listening?" Ray told his Pokémon. Spolt seemed to be trying to get in a scuffle with Terral. "What's wrong? You want to be renamed, right Terral?"<p>

Terral stopped bothering Spolt and nodded eagerly. He folded his wings in an almost formal gesture.

"Well, I don't know what to name you," Ray asked. "Can I, you know, think about it for a while?"

Terral nodded and walked forward, waiting for another hug. So Ray gave him one, and Kristy completed the picture by awing.

"Oh, I'll love battling Ray," Brycen said to her. "I can tell he's got a close, close bond with his Pokémon. Even the one that ran away came back to him."

Ray was up close with his Skarmory. "Terral, were you just training here, waiting for me to come by?"

Terral nodded proudly.

"Wow," Kristy said. "He totally evicted that Druddigon then."

"Well, it's getting late," Brycen said. "I'm going to head home. You can challenge me tomorrow, if you like."

"We're actually in a bit of a hurry," Kristy said. "We've got to find someone in Opelucid."

Brycen folded his arms. "Is that person Logan Swing, by any chance?"

"Yeah! How'd you know?" Ray said. He was petting Terral affectionately, standing by his side.

"He was on the news, demonstrating a new Ranger device of some sort. He had quite a few Pokémon. I saw a Nidoqueen, and a Zebstrika, and an Arcanine… his Pokémon were very smart, they could understand people. I mean, the Arcanine was doing calculus, for crying out loud. Logan seemed very suspicious, though… he mentioned he had a plan, but wouldn't say it. Why not say a plan if it's well-intentioned? He asked for volunteers to help him develop the project. Is that what you're doing?"

"Not quite," Ray said. "We just have to talk to him about something."

"Ah. Well, be careful. I'd hate to see volunteers become victims. And good night. I hope to see you in my Gym sometime." Brycen turned around and made his way down the spiraling steps.

Stanley nudged Ray anxiously.

"Yeah, I know," Ray said. "Logan doesn't have a Zebstrika _or_ an Arcanine. He must be turning others into Pokémon now."

"We need to hurry," Kristy said. "Let's go."

Ray withdrew Spolt and Stanley (without a struggle) and looked downwards for Brycen. It would be awkward passing by him again, after having said goodbye.

But Brycen was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>**: **The Rangers I envision are a bit different from the ones in the actual Ranger games, mainly because I forgot the little details of what happened in the first two games. So if I get into greater detail later on, don't be surprised if things don't match with the Ranger games perfectly. I guess you can call it a loose canon. HAHAHAHA


	5. Acewing

Unova Route 8 was a breezy, cold swamp. As the travelers walked on, more and more ponds of water covered the ground, and Ray had no choice but to take the long way around them. He liked swimming in cold water, but he didn't want to soak his things or waste a change of clothes. And besides, Kristy would freak out.

At the moment, Ray only had Spolt and Terral out of their balls. He had also promised Stanley that he would never force him or Tretters into a ball unless it was necessary.

"It's colder than I thought it would be," Kristy complained. "Why're you letting Terral and Tretters fly up there? It must be freezing."

"If they didn't like it, they wouldn't be up there," Ray said. The two birds were following from the air, while Stanley kept walking. Ray swore Stanley and Spolt were talking, because the Manectric wasn't by his side for once.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean you want to be renamed, too?" Spolt asked Stanley. "You're acting like you're going to <em>stay<em> a poke."

"I… I think I do want to stay," Stanley said, looking down at the ground. "I don't know."

The two of them walked in front of the humans. Stanley heard Ray's C-Gear ring, and Ray began talking to someone.

"Well, we can come up with some names for both you and Terral," Spolt said, drawing Stanley's attention away from the humans. "You know, Ray's terrible at coming up with names. I mean, _my_ name is sensible, but Terral and Felsin sound kinda random. Know what I mean? But still, not a lot of Trainers give their Pokémon names, and I'm glad Ray does."

"How 'bout Talon?" Stanley suggested. The name came to him randomly, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not.

"That's kinda weird," Spolt said. "Naming yourself after a body part. What's your _full_ name anyways? Since humans have two names for some reason."

"Stanley A. Swing," Stanley said. He always used the middle initial.

Spolt tilted his head thoughtfully. "Stanley Acewing?" He shook his head. "Well then it's easy! You can just use your last name… Acewing!" Spolt trotted down the road, satisfied with himself.

"The 'A' part's actually my middle initial..."

"Uh. What's an initial? And why's it in the middle?"

"Never mind." Acewing actually didn't sound half bad.

"Now let's come up with one for Terral! I still think Rayquaza is a good idea…"

* * *

><p>Ray hung up the C-Gear, still walking. "Gabe woke up!" he said. "He's going home with his parents."<p>

"And your dad's fine with you just staying here?" Kristy asked.

"I don't know why, but yeah. He said Gabe'll call me soon."

"Speaking of going home… have you ever been to Sinnoh?"

"Nope."

"Maybe you should come with me," Kristy said. She hastily added, "I mean, maybe you'll convince my parents I can go with being a Trainer…"

They kept walking until they saw a pond so large, they couldn't walk around it. It was more like a lake than a pond.

"Ugh," Kristy said. "I really don't wanna get wet. I got wet when I was, you know, _helping Clay fix his Gym_, and I got all cold. It's even colder round here!"

Terral and Tretters made their way back to the ground. Terral stared at Ray curiously, like he was wondering why they'd stopped.

"I have an idea," Ray said. "Let's just fly. I mean, we have three birds with us now. Four if you count Archie."

Kristy looked from Stanley to Tretters to Terral. All three birds looked back at her brightly, but she seemed doubtful. "I dunno, I've never flown—"

"You can fly on Tretters," Ray offered. "He's good at flying with people." Terral, offended, stepped forward and nudged Ray with his head.

"Don't worry Terral, I'll fly on you," Ray said. "And I'll try and think of a new name." Terral nodded and let Ray climb on. The metallic feathers felt tougher than before, somehow.

From Terral's back, Ray pulled out a ball and withdrew Spolt. "You'll just follow us, then, Stanley," he said.

Kristy approached Tretters nervously. "How do I even get on?" she asked.

Tretters lowered himself as much as he could stand, and Kristy clutched at his feathers, sliding up onto him like she was afraid of falling three feet.

"Sit up, like this," Ray said. He had his legs just a little bit behind Terral's wings. "Then lean forward so you can hold his neck. Not too tight though, or you'll choke him—"

"Yeah, I know," Kristy said, grabbing onto Tretters. The Fearow made a coughing noise.

"Okay, now all you have to do is hold on," Ray said. He felt like a flying pro, even though Stanley probably knew far more. "I'll lead the way, and Stanley can follow in the back."

Tretters and Terral took off simultaneously, creating ripples in the water nearby. Stanley watched them for a moment before following suit.

"Aiee!" screamed Kristy as they rose into the air. Ray laughed, and he had the feeling the birds were laughing, too.

Terral and Tretters rose up above the trees, side by side with Stanley right behind them. They formed a small triangle in the air. Ray glanced to his side—Kristy's screaming had died down, but she looked terrified as ever.

Shivering a little, Ray pulled himself closer to Terral. He'd forgotten to take the freezing air into account, but it was alright. Kristy was probably buried in Tretters's feathers anyway, holding on for dear life.

"If I fall off and die, you're going to go to Hearthome so my parents can slaughter you!" she yelled over the rushing wind.

Tretters took care of her, though, and they made good progress eastward. Ray rested his head on Terral's neck, to avoid the cold wind. From there, he had a sideways view of the landscape: Trees stretched out, sort of like a forest, but with so many ponds and lakes it was practically wetlands. The bodies of water were still and reflective, and it looked like sunny pieces of sky littered the ground.

Despite the blustering wind, Ray felt oddly peaceful. Satisfied. He'd fixed things with Terral. Gabe was alright, and heading home. Hoenn wasn't a disaster after all. Kristy was nice…

Kristy… Kristy offered for Ray to come to Sinnoh with her. Ray pondered it. What did _that_ mean? She was just being friendly, right? Or did she really like hanging around with him?

Ray would find out after the flight, that was for sure.

But still, she went a bit defensive after the offer. That meant she was embarrassed. Which meant she felt something for him? Friendship? It better have been friendship—anything more than that made Ray feel creepy.

He shook his head. He was being paranoid, romantically paranoid. He met Kristy what, a week ago? Less? That wasn't nearly long enough for _that _to form between them.

At least that's what everyone says.

Of course, if Ray was thinking about it so much, playing with the idea, then _he _surely felt something for _her_…

He cringed. What was he thinking? Was a chance encounter, a couple Gym matches, and a Pep Quiz enough to open the possibility of a relationship?

And a flight together…

Ray shook himself, causing Terral to glance back at him. The thoughts that ran through his head! A few days with a girl, and he was freaking out about a _relationship_. The truth was, there wasn't one. He really _was_ being paranoid. It took more time for that kind of stuff to form—

"Hello, Ray!" called someone from behind, jarring Ray from his embarrassing thoughts. "It's cold up here!"

Grateful for something else to focus on, Ray braced for the cold air and looked behind him. He nudged Terral with his legs, indicating for him to slow down. The other two birds matched Terral's slower speed.

There was a fourth flier, flying right next to a confused Stanley. It was a Pidgeot, but one without a rider.

"Hi!" greeted the Pidgeot. He breathed heavily. "You know, flying with wings is hard! I never knew."

"Uh," Ray said. "Hi? Where did _you _come from?"

"And more importantly, how are you talking?" Kristy said, gaping. The unusual Pidgeot actually got her to detach from Tretters's neck.

"I'm the Latios from before," the Pidgeot revealed between breaths. "I talked to Ray about a week ago."

"Actually, it was only a couple days," Ray corrected. "Right?"

"Really! Hmm… that means our worlds aren't synchronous anymore? I don't really know how that works." The Pidgeot looked intently at Ray. "I have good news, though!"

"I got a call that Gabe woke up," Ray said. "Was that you?"

"Yeah, it was!" the Pidgeot said proudly. "Probably the trickiest thing I've done, psychically."

"So you're a Latios?" Kristy said, dumbfounded. "I mean, you can transform and stuff, too?"

"Absolutely," he huffed. "I must go soon, though. If time doesn't pass the same on this world, I should return as soon as I can." He looked to Ray. "I've put a little pouch in with your belongings, Ray. It's got a ball in it. If you ever need me, just take out that ball and open it, or something."

"How'd you get it in there?" Ray asked. And if the Latios was doing that earlier, what if he had read Ray's thoughts? The weird ones about Kristy?

"No need to worry about your thoughts—erm, your belongings," the Latios slipped. "You know I wouldn't steal."

_Or eavesdrop,_ he added telepathically. Ray felt a humorous feeling go along with the message, sort of like a telepathic wink. _Don't worry, I just sensed a bit of worry._

_Thanks, _Ray said in his head.

"Also, your stunning red-feathered friend here wanted me to tell you a couple things. He wants to be called Acewing now, instead of Stanley. And your Skarmory wants to be called Terne."

"Really?" Ray asked, shocked. Stanley was changing his name like he was going to stay a Pokémon! Either he had no faith Logan could be stopped, or he really liked being a Braviary.

And did Terral come up with the name Terne himself? It didn't sound bad, actually. Ray liked that it still started with T.

"I hope to see you soon," Latios said. "Bye!" He stopped flying and hovered in the air for a moment, before disappearing in an instant.

"Was that really a Latios?" Kristy said in disbelief.

"Yeah, it was," Ray said. "I've met him before."

"Oh, from the thing at Mistralton?" She sighed. "And it's a Latios from a _different world. _That's so cool."

"Let's go down now," Ray said. "We're at the bridge. We can let the birds rest."

"Wait—aiiee!" Kristy cried as Tretters sank downwards.

They landed right at the entrance of a huge bridge, crisscrossed with beams of metal. Stanley plummeted dangerously close to the ground, but he managed to slow down in time.

"Good job… Terne," Ray said, trying out his Skarmory's new name. "I'm glad you're back. And you picked a good name." Ray patted him on the neck, and dismounted.

Terne leaned his head against Ray's affectionately for a moment, before Ray returned him to his ball.

"We're almost there," Kristy said, sliding off Tretters onto precious solid ground.

"If you want to rest, just tell me," Ray said to Tretters and Stanley.

Actually, Tretters and Acewing. He'd have to get used to that.

"Ace… Acewing," Ray said. "How'd you get that name?"

Stanley gave an exasperated look, but he was still smiling beneath it. He squawked, reminding Ray he couldn't speak.

* * *

><p>"I can't speak, Ray!" Acewing said in mock exasperation. "You know that!"<p>

Tretters chuckled. "I don't mind if he likes talking to Pokémon."

"You can meet us on the other side of this little building," Ray said to them. He and Kristy entered a little waystation that led to the bridge.

Acewing followed Tretters up over the building's roof, and down the other side. After a moment, Ray and Kristy emerged from the gateway, and made their way onto the bridge.

Tubeline Bridge seemed to be the most utilitarian of Unova's bridges. It wasn't very accommodating for pedestrians, as the floor was simply metal grating. And bridge's frame was made up of metal beams, with little regard to aesthetics. Still, it had its own kind of beauty. It looked reliable, sturdy, and efficient. The other pedestrians walking around didn't seem to mind the industrial grace, either.

"They have so many bridges here," noted Tretters. "They could use a ferry or two."

"Tretters?" Acewing asked quietly, as Ray and Kristy walked off a bit.

"Yes, Stanley? I mean… Acewing?"

"When we were flying in the air—"

"Yes, flying usually happens there—"

"—the Latios talked to me. Before he said hi to Ray. We were talking telepathically."

"Well, that's interesting." Tretters slowly rose in the air to catch up with Ray and Kristy.

Acewing followed his companion, flying right beside him. "I asked him whether I should turn back into a human, if I got the chance. He said I should go with however I'm happiest."

"But it's hard to tell, isn't it?" Tretters said.

"I love being a Pokémon. But I'm wondering if I'll get tired of it! What if all I want later on is to talk to humans? What if it drives me crazy?"

"Well, the humans are inventing all sorts of things," Tretters offered. "They'll probably come up with a translator eventually."

"I asked him what he thought, and he said I made for a very good Pokémon."

"You're very good, no matter what you are, Stanley."

Acewing looked away. "Then how do I choose?"

They had caught up to Ray and Kristy, who had stopped to gaze out from the bridge. As Stanley landed next to them, he was stunned by the landscape before him. He stared out at the sparkling water, the light grasses, and the clear sky.

"What's wrong? Acewing?" Ray asked.

Acewing shook his head. "Nothing…"

Tretters leaned in close. "Stanley… Acewing. Whichever you choose, I'll be happy either way."

"Th—thank you," Acewing choked, brushing moisture from his eyes.

"Don't worry about it now." Tretters took to the air. "Let's fly. It helps a lot."

* * *

><p>"Excuse me, Trainer," said an unusually-dressed man. He had a trenchcoat, striped tan and black, that billowed out in a conical shape. His hat, giving a look of authority, had the same color stripes. Another man accompanied him, and <em>he<em> had the same outfit, except with white instead of black. Their boots clanked on the bridge as they approached Ray and Kristy.

"Let me introduce myself," the black-striped man said. "I am Ingo, the boss of the subway that runs beneath your feet."

He glanced to his partner, who said, "I am Emmet. I am also a Subway Boss. But the subway station in Opelucid City is closed."

"I'm Ray."

"And I'm Kristy."

"Pleased to meet you two," Ingo said, nodding. He raised a gloved hand and pointed. "I was just going to ask—are those two Pokémon up there yours? Those two birds?"

Ingo was pointing at Stanley and Tretters. "Yeah, those two are," Ray said, taking responsibility for the Fearow as well.

"That Braviary is a powerful Pokémon," Emmet mused. "We thought it looked smarter than a wild one. We wondered if the Braviary belonged to a powerful trainer."

"Well, I don't know about _powerful_," Ray said shyly.

"We turned back to see who had that Braviary," Ingo said. "Curiosity is curious."

"Want to go with us?" Emmet asked. "We could use a couple of strong Trainers. There might be something wrong in Opelucid City."

"How about it?" Ingo said, offering his hand.

"We're headed there anyway," Ray said, shaking the hand nervously. The two striped, conductor-looking guys looked like tough Trainers themselves.

"Excellent!" Ingo said, turning around with a flourish. He and Emmet walked briskly and in sync, their coats billowing out behind them. Ray and Kristy followed, and the two birds circled above.

Ingo looked downwards. "This bridge is too quiet without the trains rushing by. It's a lifeless metal frame." He sighed. "We've got to see what's going on as soon as we can."

"The sun's setting," Emmet added. "We can sleep one night. Then we'll rush to Opelucid."

Kristy whispered to Ray, "Do you think this thing with Opelucid is Logan's doing?"

"Maybe," said Ray. "But if it is, at least these guys can help us."

"They're Subway Bosses," Kristy told him quietly. "Some say they're tough as the Elite Four."

* * *

><p>"So you're gonna stay a Pokémon?" Felsin asked, eyes wide. "I'd love to be a human! I could talk to Ray!"<p>

"We'd all love to talk to Ray," Dax said gruffly, "but I think he'd love us more as Pokémon."

Terne added, "I'm _proud_ of this body. I'd never want to trade it for a soft, vulnerable human one."

All of Ray's Pokémon, plus Acewing and Tretters, were sleeping outside their balls. Ingo and Emmet had insisted in seeing all of his Pokémon.

Now the humans were asleep, and the Pokémon had a chance to all hang out together. Except Archie, who was sleeping with Ray.

"I still haven't seen Kristy's Pokémon," Acewing said.

"Buizel's pretty fun," Spolt revealed.

"Well… what do we talk about now?" Felsin asked, sitting down with his claws crossed. He slid one across the other idly. "How 'bout battles? I wanna battle again. Last time, I did pretty good!"

"_Well_," corrected Terne absentmindedly.

"You'll definitely get your chance to battle," Acewing told Felsin. "There's a Gym in the next city."

"Well, I'm going to sleep," Spolt said. "I bet there'll be a ton of action tomorrow."

"I'll join you," yawned Felsin. "I'm so sleepy."

The two of them moved a short distance away. Spolt slept on his side, while Felsin slept sitting.

Dax, eyes glowing, didn't look tired at all. But he slinked off into the darkness without a word.

"Where's he going?" Acewing asked.

"He walks off at night," said Tretters. "He told me it was something personal, so I didn't bother him about it."

"Speaking of personal…" Terne murmured. "I never realized how much I missed Ray… until he was flying on me. And even though that girl was screaming the whole time, I managed to zone out, to feel that… that kinship." He stared into the night sky dramatically. "I don't want to leave him ever again. I… I hate to think about it, but I was _scared_ when I was alone, training on wild Pokémon. I was afraid Ray went home and left me there. I hurt myself… and told myself it was Ray hurting me…"

"It's alright," Tretters said. "Don't worry."

These were people too, Acewing realized. They felt the same emotions, the same love, hate, same everything that humans felt.

"I'm staying with you guys," Acewing said confidently. "If they somehow find a way to reverse my transformation, I won't let them do it." He folded his wings. "I'd even love to act as one of Ray's Pokémon."

"You'd better find that Latios again, so he can explain all this to the humans," Terne said.

"I think you're all great friends," Acewing said sincerely.

"What about human friends?" Terne asked.

"I don't really have any… besides Ray and Kristy. And it's better that I'm a Pokémon—I won't be a third wheel in… their relationship." He stifled a laugh.

Terne chuckled. "You really think they're… doing that?"

"Not really, I was kidding. They're probably just friends," admitted Acewing. "But still, I don't think Kristy would've flown for anyone else. Right, Tretters?"

The Fearow had fallen asleep, with his head tucked away under his wing.

"He's out," Terne noted. "So, Acewing, what's this whole deal with Logan?"

"Oh man, it's a long story."

"I'm not tired."

The two of them stayed up and talked for a couple hours longer, and by the time Acewing fell asleep he had made friends with Terne. He dreamt about flying and splashing in water, briefly forgetting his human life entirely.


	6. Memory

**Author's Note: Struggled with a bit of writer's block these past weeks, but it's been clearing up pretty well now. I don't mean to update so far apart, of course. ****If you've got the time, consider leaving a review! It's pretty much the best thing you can do for a writer like me, seriously. Thanks!**

* * *

><p>"You what?" Ray asked over the phone as he walked. "I thought I heard you say you caught a Pokémon."<p>

"I did!" Gabe said with a bit of defiance. "If you don't believe me, I'll send you some pictures. I caught a Blitzle before I left, and get this. As soon as I catch another Pokémon I like, I'm gonna challenge a Gym or two!"

"But you're doing alright?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna go searching for another awesome Pokémon."

"Okay, well, I can't wait to… hang out again." Ray sighed. "Sorry for the… the whole thing, the whole mess. And for not being around…"

"Oh, it's no problem," Gabe dismissed. "I've been feeling much better since waking up and going home. Growlithe and I are gonna battle and train and stuff."

"Uh… okay then. I'll see you in like a week."

"Bye, Ray." Click.

Ray returned his C-Gear to his wrist. After a moment of silence, he couldn't keep his thoughts to himself anymore. "Gabe's different somehow," he said to Kristy. "He's not afraid of battling anymore, and he caught a new Pokémon. He's never done that before."

"Really? That's pretty weird," Kristy said. "At least he's back."

"Ah, are you talking about the boy who went in a coma after the Horizon scandal?" Ingo asked. "I saw a short news segment on him."

"You're the one who stopped Horizon," Emmet realized.

"Well, it wasn't just me," Ray said hastily.

Ingo rubbed his chin. "Yes, your Pokémon must have been of great help, too."

That wasn't quite it either, but Ray didn't bother disagreeing with the two subway masters.

"Speaking of your Pokémon," Ingo continued, "did you just recently catch that Braviary? He seemed reluctant to enter his ball."

"Well, it's pretty complicated," Ray said carefully. He glanced at Kristy, who shrugged. "He just doesn't like the ball, that's all."

Ingo glanced up at the sky, with one hand raised to shield his eyes. "He sure is vigilant, flying around up there all the time. I'd like to see him battle."

"He's not watching for anything," Ray said knowingly. "He's just enjoying the view."

* * *

><p>"You know what I realized?" Acewing asked over the rushing wind. "Now that I'm a Pokémon, maybe we can convince Ray to take us to Almia! Wouldn't it be great to go back there, finally?"<p>

Tretters remained silent.

"If Logan doesn't get in too much trouble, and we can convince him, he can come too. We'll see how everything's changed."

Tretters flew in closer. "Why were you afraid to go as a human?" he asked with a cold stare.

"What do you mean? Why're you looking at me like that? I wasn't… afraid… I mean, Logan got me to leave, and then it was easier to just stay in Hoenn—"

"I might not've been able to talk to you then, _Stanley_, but I've known you since before you first picked up a Styler. I know when things bother you. And going back home bothers you."

"Well, I ran away!" Acewing cried. "I didn't want to just go back and… and be ashamed of everything."

"You _know_ Logan exaggerated it. All you did was break a rule that was going to be put out of practice soon anyway. Everyone would have been ecstatic to see you return, Stanley. But now that you're not even human, they won't recognize you."

"What should I do?" Acewing sighed. "Now I'm afraid I'll be totally forgotten, and no one will remember me."

"Don't worry about that. What I want you to do… is just think about what happened. Do you remember? Let the rhythm of flight just go on its own, and we'll relive what happened years ago. I'm no psychic, but I'm under the impression that you have repressed those memories."

Acewing sighed again. "Okay, well… it started…" He shook his head. "Give me a minute."

"Who knows? Maybe being a Pokémon helps."

"Shh." Stanley listened hard to the wind, then tuned out the blustering noise. He stared dead ahead, until he was just staring into space. He was flying as slow as he could without falling.

"I think I remember now," he said. "Remember our special spot? It was there..."

–

_ Stanley was sitting at the harbor, fiddling around with his Browser. He had his favorite spot to himself, with an amazing view of the boats coming in and out. Tretters was perched at the edge of the stone dock, searching the water for fish Pokémon. The two of them had a break between Ranger assignments—the first rest in at least a week of tiring cases and investigations. Stanley liked having a spot where no one bothered him—being a higher-level Ranger brought along some popularity, but he didn't know whether he liked it or not. People always asked him about his exploits, and he had to give the same answers over and over again. Logan usually did the talking for him, actually, now that he thought about it._

_ "What're you thinking about, Tretters?" Stanley asked his partner. "Food?"_

_–_

"I was thinking about evolution," adult Tretters interjected. "I was unsure if I wanted it or not."

"I wonder what it's like to evolve," mused Acewing. "I guess I sorta felt it when I transformed, but I don't think evolution's that painful."

"Evolution feels incredible. Anyway, you should go on..."

–

_ The little Spearow cawed at Stanley longingly._

_ "Want to go off?" Stanley asked his bird. "We can go see if anyone needs anything."_

_ "I knew you'd be here," said Logan from behind. "This your new spot?" His Nidorina scrambled across the dock, chasing Tretters around innocently._

_ "Don't tell anyone," Stanley said. "And go find your own spot."_

_ "Did you see any big boats come in earlier? People are saying a ship from Sinnoh's come here."_

_ "Sinnoh? Where's that?"_

_ "Up north. They have Pokémon we've never seen before."_

_ "Well, I did see a big one come in. Let's go see."_

_ They didn't have to go looking for ships after all, because the passengers were all over Pueltown. Stanley and Logan were drawn to one guy in particular, who was showing off his Pokémon. It was some sort of water weasel, wearing a flotation tube around its body._

_ "This is Floatzel!" the foreigner said, appearing bashful but obviously enjoying the attention. "He's a little shy, haha." Everyone smiled as the Floatzel ducked away in embarrassment. _

_ "Now that's a cool Pokémon," Logan said. "I think the tube is part of it! That's pretty sweet."_

_ Stanley agreed—Floatzel was pretty awesome—but he didn't say anything. He was a bit annoyed that Logan also liked the Floatzel, because Logan was always better at getting his way. If anyone got to play with a Floatzel, it would be him and not Stanley._

_ But the Floatzel was distracting him, so Stanley could walk off without Logan tagging along._

_–_

"Wait…" Acewing said slowly. "Why was I starting to avoid him? I feel bad for doing that."

Tretters stared forward. "I think I know. Nidorina talked to me about it before—"

"Oh, that reminds me!" Acewing burst. "I gotta talk to her sometime!"

Tretters didn't like being interrupted. "Calm down… Nidorina told me Logan wanted to have more than just one partner Pokémon. I think he set his sights on that Floatzel, to be honest. I'm surprised he didn't even glance at Kristy's Buizel."

"Yeah, I think that's what it was. Okay, I'm going to concentrate again."

Tretters smiled just like a therapist would. "Go ahead."

–

_Stanley wanted to have more than one Pokémon, too, not that Tretters wasn't good enough or anything. But having multiple Pokémon was something Rangers just didn't do. No one owned any Pokémon—they befriended one or two wild Pokémon, and left it at that._

_ But the majority of people from Sinnoh had their spheres around their belts or in their bags, and inside those were Pokémon. The Poké Ball introduced an additional relationship, one that Stanley didn't understand._

_ As Stanley watched the tourists from afar—many of them showed their caught Pokémon—Logan trotted up to him excitedly._

_ "I've been talking to these people, and I have an idea you might wanna try out with me," he said confidently. "You know how those people with the balls, those Trainers, you know how they have battles?"_

_ "Um, you mean they fend off wild Pokémon, right? I hear our wild Pokémon are some of the least aggressive compared to theirs."_

_ "No, they actually battle each other with their Pokémon."_

_ Stanley looked at the foreigners again, suspiciously this time. "Wait a minute. Why would they want to do that?"_

_ "Most of the time, it's for fun," Logan explained. "They, like, heal their Pokémon afterward. I mean, us humans have wrestling and stuff for sports, right? Sports where people sometimes get hurt, but they're still really fun—"_

_ "That doesn't sound fun! It sounds like the Pokémon have no choice, because they've gotten caught by their red ball things."_

_ "That Floatzel looked fine," Logan said. "Shy, but also really happy. I think it's all up to the person, whether the Pokémon have it good or not."_

_ "So… so what you're saying is, you want to try out battling with me?" Stanley asked very quietly. "Against who?"_

_ "Against you! Let's battle each other! We can go right to the healing center afterwards, and tell them it was just a scuffle with a tough wild Pokémon."_

_ "Not when we could've easily handled it with our Stylers," Stanley uttered._

_ "Well then, I guess we left them at home."_

_ Logan always surprised Stanley on a daily basis, but nothing like what he had just suggested. It was shocking how different two brothers could be—Logan dove headfirst into all sorts of things, and that made him exceptional. A real go-getter, as his teachers had pointed out. Stanley, on the other hand, only excelled when he knew what he was doing. And only when he was comfortable. That made him exceptional too, but also a lot more cautious._

_ "It's our uniforms on the line, if we do this," Stanley said sternly, even though sternness hardly deterred Logan. "I mean, I sort of want to, but the other Rangers wouldn't like it…"_

_ "I think Nidorina wants to," Logan said, picking up his Pokémon. "You should ask Tretters."_

_ Tretters, hearing his name, stopped stalking someone's Wurmple and hopped up on Stanley's arm expectantly._

_ "Do you want to… um… participate in a battle, Tretters?" Stanley asked. "We'll heal you right away if you get hurt. It'll be against Nidorina, though…"_

_ Tretters looked back and forth from Stanley to Nidorina, then solemnly nodded yes._

_–_

"I did _not _do that," Tretters laughed. "I was jumping up and down in excitement!"

–

_Tretters jumped up and down in excitement. Stanley's heart sank, because he would rather watch a battle than participate in one himself._

_ "Come on," Logan said, leading Stanley away from town. "It'll be fun, no matter what happens."_

_ "I guess so," Stanley said. Logan could be rash, but he was usually right about that._

_–_

"Are you okay, Stanley?" Tretters asked. "I mean, Acewing?"

"You know, I had no idea birds could cry," sniffed Acewing. "Ugh, they're flying away in the wind." The tears sparkled like bits of glass as they plummeted out of sight. "God, I miss Logan now…"

"Oh, don't cry, Stanley. I believe in us. We'll get Logan to stop this mess he's making, and then we'll go to Almia together."

"I guess it was a good idea to go to Unova after all. Look what's happened so far, ha!" Acewing laughed, but the tears refused to stop flowing.

"I wonder what Pokémon Logan would turn into," Tretters said, changing the subject. "Do you think his transformation thing has to do with personality? Because I think Braviary fits you well."

"You think so?" Acewing said. "I don't know… It seems like it's giving me way too much credit."

"You might think that now, but I think you haven't had any purpose for a while now. We've just been drifting around these past few years, haven't we?"

"Yeah… that decides it! No matter what happens here, we're going to Almia, and I'm going to put this to rest once and for all!"

"That's the spirit!" Tretters cheered. "I never thought we'd ever be able to talk about things like this… thanks, Stanley."

"Well, you have Logan to thank, actually."

"That I do… and there seems to be a big building up ahead, in the middle of nowhere."

"That's a mall, kinda like the one in Lilycove. Except it's on the road for some reason."

"Well. We've flown far ahead of the others, so we might as well rest on the roof here."

"I wonder what Pokémon Ray would be," Stanley said. "Or Kristy." He wanted to keep the conversation light—he'd felt enough memories and emotion for one day.

"I have no idea. Sometimes Ray can be strong-willed, but I can't place it exactly."

"And Kristy's always strong-willed, but in a different way, heh!"

* * *

><p>"Oh, come on!" Kristy pointed. "You're telling me you don't want to go and see what's in <em>there<em>?"

"It's just a mall," Ray said slowly.

"Yeah, I know, but lots of malls sell things you can't get anywhere else!"

It was the only landmark on route 9, and Ray figured that meant the mall could be built as large as possible. A separate, smoothly-paved walkway led away from the road and up to the mall's front doors. It didn't look as crowded as other malls Ray had seen, but that was probably because it was between towns. He could see people walking around on the upper floors, looking out the windows.

Ray knew she wanted to go in there. "Maybe we should keep going, though..."

"We can forge ahead, while you visit the mall," Ingo said. "It's fine."

"There's no rush," Emmet added. "Just a subway glitch. It usually works flawlessly."

Ingo waved goodbye. "Until we meet again! You should stop by the Battle Subway sometime!"

As they walked away, Kristy pulled Ray to the side. "Maybe we should've told them what was going on."

"I didn't want them to freak out…"

"Or you just didn't want to get laughed at?"

"I don't know." Ray scaled the steps leading to the mall. "Anything you need from here?" he asked, embarrassed. "Pokémon food or something?" He called down Acewing—he was dozing off on the roof, apparently—and told him, "We'll be in the mall, but you can stay around outside with Tretters."

Acewing nodded and flew off, and Ray followed Kristy into Route 9's large shopping mall.


	7. Outbreak

Opelucid City's high-tech downtown district was like a vision of the future, with the smoothest streets in Unova and lights that glowed in various blue colors. It wasn't an urban jungle like Castelia, but that didn't matter to the city of the future. Even though only the inner city was so advanced, most people saw it as an advantage—it was a half hour walk from Downtown to Old Town.

The streets of the downtown area were empty, though, except for the Pokémon who roamed it freely. They searched for each other, and when two Pokémon met, they fought viciously until one fainted. After a while, the defeated Pokémon woke up and continued their fighting.

The only two humans around were a news duo. They were only a block or two from the edge of downtown, and they were investigating the unusual Pokémon—most of them weren't even native to Unova, yet they all seemed to be especially wild and aggressive.

"See anything?" the cameraman said.

The reporter glanced around, checking behind her twice. "No."

"Let's get this over with, okay? The channel's been waiting on us at least five minutes now. Rolling."

"Ahem. The situation here in downtown Opelucid City is worsening!" said the news reporter boldly. "Aggressive wild Pokémon are roaming the streets, and eyewitnesses are reporting that the Pokémon can turn humans into the same kind of hostile Pokémon! We have yet to see if this is true! City officials have closed the city center—if you live downtown, stay inside, and—"

"Behind you," said her cameraman calmly.

She turned and fled to the cameraman's side. A Lairon walked up to them curiously, looking up at the camera, bright-eyed.

"H—hello, Lairon," said the reporter. "Don't come any closer, or I'll have to use my Pokémon to defend myself!" She ducked back in the camera's shot. "This one doesn't seem to be enraged."

The Lairon growled a little, turned away, and walked off. It called out every once in a while, as if searching for someone, but the area was deserted. The calls echoed.

"That was probably some person's poor Lairon," the reporter confided to the camera. "I doubt the reports are true, that some of the hostile Pokémon are in fact transformed humans, but people should still avoid—watch out!"

"Moouuuhhhh!" A ferocious Tauros charged into view, smashing the Lairon across the street. The Tauros lifted its head and grunted in victory, briefly celebrating its one-hit takedown.

"Oh no!" the reporter cried over the injured Lairon's whines. "Let's hide!"

"But what about the Lairon?" the cameraman said.

The reporter wanted to say, "Screw the Lairon!" but she knew better than to do that on the air. "It's probably too heavy to carry," she said gently. She knew how sentimental her partner could get at times like this.

"Aieee!" She and the cameraman dodged as the Tauros charged their way. The rampant Pokémon flew past, blowing the reporter's hair to one side.

"Damn," went the cameraman's voice. The camera followed the reporter shakily as the news duo ran for safety. There was a police barrier a couple blocks away—the perimeter of the overrun downtown area.

"Watch out for Pokémon," the cameraman said. But the Pokémon, busy fighting each other, took no notice of the humans. "I don't wanna be turned into a Pokémon. Especially not a jerk one."

"Hey, there's the police barrier!" the reporter cheered. She could see the police vehicles down the block, painted with luminescent green and blue stripes. "We're almost there!"

But a Vibrava was fluttering around between them and safety, and they were still too far away for any of the police to help. Once the Vibrava spotted them, it buzzed and hopped forward menacingly.

The reporter reached for her Poké Balls. "Take this! Go—"

Before the reporter could defend herself with her Pokémon, the Vibrava generated a powerful wave from its vibrating wings. The cameraman dove out of the way, nearly breaking his equipment in the process, but the reporter got hit full force.

"Watch out!" the cameraman yelled, but it was too late.

She screamed as the attack hit her, and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. As the Vibrava closed in on her, a strange light began to pass from it to the reporter. The light engulfed her, eventually becoming too bright to look at. When the cameraman turned back, he saw a knocked-out Linoone where his colleague used to be.

* * *

><p>The lobby of the mall erupted into chatter as everyone watched the TV. The cameraman jumped over the police barricade and yelled at the cops for not helping.<p>

"She just turned into that!"

"What the f—"

"Hey!" someone yelled. "I can't hear!"

* * *

><p>"I'm going to have to put her in a cage," the police officer told the cameraman. "When she wakes up, she'll want to attack us. Sorry we didn't help, but you were just out of range."<p>

"Yeah, right." The cameraman reluctantly gave her the unconscious Linoone. He followed the officer to a police car, where a few other Pokémon were locked up. "What started all this?" he asked.

"We don't know. But it must've come from somewhere in the city." She stared into the camera. "If anyone watching knows anything at all about this, then they should call the police station immediately."

"Wait, I'm still rolling, right?" the cameraman checked his gear. "Okay. Well, one last question, since the real reporter is a Pokémon right now: What if this thing spreads? Are you going to quarantine Opelucid City?"

The policewoman shrugged and walked toward the barrier. "So far, we've only closed the subway. Only downtown is overrun. Everything's fine in the older districts, but we still told everyone to stay in their homes. The Pokémon might become more aggressive, or they might try harder to escape, so everyone should be on their toes."

The cameraman sighed and looked at the Vibrava again. It was tranquilized _now_, but only after it had… transformed his friend. So much for asking her out later…

"Well, this is the situation in Opelucid City," he said from behind the camera. "We still don't know how this all started…" He turned the camera to a close-up of the sleeping Linoone in her cage. The Pokémon had a pained look on her small face. "And that Pokémon is Lindsey Hammond, signing off, I guess. Are you sure we can't help her?"

The policewoman began to answer, "You might want to run out there and grab her clothes—" but the TV switched to the news anchors.

"That looks dangerous," one of them said unhelpfully. "People being turned into Pokémon—sounds like science fiction. Fits Opelucid, don't you think?"

Everyone watching groaned and began to disperse, some of them making phone calls. Kristy grabbed Ray.

"Let's go. This is all our fault," she said. "We've bought all the stuff we need already, right?"

Acewing and Tretters greeted them outside. As soon as they came near, Ray let out Terne and uttered to all the birds, "We've got to fly to Opelucid as fast as we can."

The Skarmory acknowledged him with a slight nod, and watched as Kristy clumsily got on Tretters. Once Ray mounted Terne, the three birds took off, heading straight for Opelucid City. It was visible in the distance.

"Oh jeez," Kristy said as they flew off.

Ray had the feeling he was literally flying into trouble. How was he going to stop that huge mess? Punching Logan in the face wouldn't magically restore everyone to normal. What if Ray got turned into Pokémon? He had met a Gabite, and they were the same person, apparently—did that mean that his "inner Pokémon" was Gabite? Gabite were usually mean, weren't they? Ray had a very limited temper…

Ray's thoughts drifted from the Gabite to Latios. He still had the ball the mysterious Pokémon had given him. Maybe he could use it to signal Latios, who could help them… No, Ray couldn't just keep calling back the Latios over and over again. He was probably busy enough on his own world. This was Ray's problem now. And Stanley's, too.

What about Kristy? Ray glanced to the side—Kristy clutched Tretters' neck as tightly as ever. She had no reason to continue on this Logan-stopping quest, yet there she was. Maybe it was because she liked Ray…

Ray threw that thought out the window—too awkward—but he smiled anyway. Stanley and Kristy had been strangers, but now they were all friends. And Stanley was a bird now, too. That was funny, for some reason.

Kristy frowned. "Stop laughing at me!" she cried over the wind.

"I'm not laughing at you!" Ray laughed. He stopped watching her—that's probably what made her insecure—and turned to face the other way, grinning. Stanley was flying on that side, and he smiled back.

* * *

><p>"Okay, my eyes are super dry," Kristy complained as they landed just within city limits. "I need Go-Goggles, or something."<p>

"I kinda got used to it," Ray said. "Anyway, how are we gonna find Logan? My C-Gear doesn't have a GPS."

"Maybe we should tell the police what we know."

Ray disagreed. "Even if they believe us, the police might scare him off. If the two of us come, with Stanley-slash-Acewing, he might stop and try to get us instead."

"…Get us? Really? That sounds stupid."

"Well, as long as he doesn't try to teleport away again." Ray put Terne away, after giving him a pat on the back. Ray also got Acewing and Tretters's permission to withdraw them—they looked too tired to refuse.

They decided to check the police barricade anyway, because Kristy wanted to know where the Subway bosses had gone. It didn't take long to reach downtown, because the streets were empty. Long, chest-high barriers filled with water blocked the road, and several people kept watch in case Pokémon tried to escape.

One of them looked awfully familiar.

"Hey Ray!" Chuck called. He walked over with his Mightyena, who didn't look so scruffy anymore. "Remember me? I was the bad Trainer? Well now I've been being a lot nicer to my Mightyena."

"What are you doing here?" Ray asked.

"Mightyena's good at chasing down the _little_ Pokémon that escape. The police even gave me a net gun so I don't have to risk getting Mightyena hurt!"

"A net gun…" Kristy mused. "Who in their right mind would give _you _a net—"

"I came to Opelucid City after seeing this guy's offer thing, for me to become a Pokémon," Chuck explained. "I didn't really believe it, but if it was true, then I could totally talk to Mightyena and tell him how bad I felt about everything. But when I got here, I sorta got scared to do it, so I left."

"So this really is all his doing?" Kristy asked.

"I think so. His thingy that turns people into Pokémon, I heard him mention it malfunctions a little. My idea is that it accidentally gave the transforming power thing to a Pokémon, and then it just spread."

"So where is he?" Ray asked in low tones. "We think we can get him to not run away."

"I'm not sure if he's still around, since his entire thing screwed up, but he lives in the oldest part of town." Chuck pointed at a side street. "Just go that-a-way. His house is the one with the nicest grass. I'm not even kidding."

"Well, thanks…" Ray said.

"Good thing you're treating your Pokémon right," Kristy added.

"It's no problem. I should be thanking you, really. By the way, where's your other friend, the skinnyish one?"

"Uh, it's a long story," Ray said, walking off quickly.

"Bye!" Chuck called.

"He's kinda crazy," Kristy concluded as they made their way across town.

"What was your first clue?" Ray said. "He was crazy the first time I saw him."

"I just don't get it. First he was stealing, now he's helping the cops."

Ray went quiet, observing the streets carefully for any of the rogue Pokémon. The area was deserted.

* * *

><p>"No, Professor," Logan uttered. "I swear I don't mean anything bad… No, I can't stop it… Well, what am I supposed to do?" He searched through the mess of papers on his desk. "Maybe if I destroy my device… but then all my work will be gone, just like that."<p>

His "lab" was down in his basement. Logan paced back and forth, glancing at the television every so often. Everything was getting out of hand, and it was all his fault.

"No, I can't be a hero," Logan continued. "Even if I turn around and stop this, everyone will blame me for it." He rummaged through his drawers. "I'm going to try and control them all, Professor, and get them to calm down… Okay, then…" He put down the phone and put a hand up to his forehead. "Where's my Thunderstone?" he mumbled to himself. He found the evolutionary stone in a drawer, beneath his old Browser.

A creak from up above. Logan pocketed the stone quickly and watched the stairs.

"Logan?" Ray asked carefully as he descended into the basement. "Look, let's just talk for a second!"

Logan didn't move. "I guessed you'd be coming. Did you break my door?"

"We don't want to fight," Ray said as Kristy came down next to him. "If we can find out how to stop what's going on, then everything will work out fine."

"Nothing will work out! I've gone over the edge already! I'm pretty sure causing a massive outbreak goes under 'arrest and lock up forever!'"

"Well, if you save everyone, then you'll be the hero," Kristy offered.

"Professor Juniper told me that already. But it's just too hard. It'd be easier to just destroy the freaking Styler, but that would waste years of work!" He slammed his desk. "I don't know what to do!"

Ray trembled, but quickly steeled himself. "If you're not going to stop them, then let us," he said. Kristy grabbed his side in protest, but he went on: "We'll stand up for you, since you were just trying to… to help, I guess."

Logan said nothing for a minute, then suddenly asked, "Where's Stanley?"

"He's a Pokémon still, and happy to be one."

"Logan," Kristy said forcefully. "What is your plan anyway?"

"I'm going to superpower my Styler, and try to disable that power it seems to have given the Pokémon. That's the only way I'll stop this."

"That's—"

"I know you think it's insane," Logan said, backing away. "That's why I'll be doing it alone." He grabbed a ball and threw it to the floor, letting out his Kadabra.

Ray lunged forward and leapt across the room, desperately reaching out for Logan's feet. He crashed to the ground with a thud, but he felt one hand land on Logan's shoe.

"Wait!" Kristy cried, before Ray and Logan disappeared.

Kristy sighed. "Now what…"

Logan's basement was a mess of computer printouts and Styler hardware. Kristy walked up to the overwhelmed desk and lifted a small packet of paper. Some treatise on evolution… written by Professor Rowan.

Kristy let out her Buizel, who landed on the desk and scattered some papers with his propeller-like tail.

"Be careful!" Kristy urged. "Help me look for something interesting." If she couldn't help Ray stop Logan, she could at least try to figure out what was going on with the Pokémon.


	8. Obstination

Logan jumped out of Ray's grip and withdrew his Kadabra without a word. He looked down at Ray, and Ray stared back up. After a moment, he backed away several steps and began adjusting something on his Styler.

Ray picked himself up off the ground. He could see the outline of Opelucid in the distance. They were near a road—one direction led to the city, and the other approached a tall range of mountains in the distance. Victory Road, most likely.

"I wish you weren't here… but you're not gonna attack me, right?" Logan said calmly. "I used to be a Ranger, you know… People can be read, understood just like Pokémon—I can tell you're a gentle person. You don't want to fight."

Logan's presumptions bothered Ray, but he didn't worry about it. "You're right, I don't, but you have to stop this! There are a ton of people in the city, who are Pokémon, and they're all beating each other up!"

"I know! I have to stop all this, and think I know how. Maybe you can help me."

He fished a ball from his pocket, and let out an Eevee. Unlike the Kadabra, the Eevee seemed to be quite fond of his Trainer. He rubbed against Logan's leg with affection, sniffing the cool afternoon air. Ray smiled, relieved to see proof that Logan wasn't evil, just misguided.

"Okay, Eevee," Logan said, pulling a Thunderstone from his pocket. "Time to evolve! Just go ahead and touch it when you're ready." He laid the evolutionary stone down on the ground, letting the Eevee touch it whenever he liked.

After several seconds of cold feet, the Eevee stumbled forward and tripped, falling headfirst onto the Thunderstone.

"He's kinda clumsy, but I love him," Logan confided to Ray.

The Eevee immediately began to glow, and Logan began looping his Styler around and around. As it circled the Eevee, loud crackling noises sounded, and the humming sounded like a huge power generator.

"Hey! What are you doing now?" Ray said loudly over the noise. He would let Logan continue, but it looked and sounded more dangerous by the second. Ray covered his ears.

"Evolutionary energy!" Logan said as the noise began to quiet down. "Supercharging it! Then I can hopefully use it to control all of the Pokémon in the city! I'll take back the power that the Styler gave them."

The Styler returned to Logan, glowing brightly like a hot, blue coal. Logan stared at Opelucid City in the distance, as if coming up with a plan. "If I go to the tallest building there, I can circle them all at once…"

"Logan, you have to listen to me, okay?" Ray said, acting like a negotiator. "I don't think you can do it yourself. It's a lot safer for us and for the Pokémon in the city if you cooperate with the police. They've already got the outbreak part of it restrained, and they just need you to help them undo it."

Logan turned around and withdrew his Jolteon. "Ray, when was the last time you broke a law?"

"Well, I don't know, I broke a Gym once. It was an accident, though—"

"So you've never broken any laws. Not that you know of." Logan looked down. "I'm pretty sure I broke a few laws—turning people into Pokémon without telling them all the details, getting an entire city into this mess… They wouldn't spare me!" He kicked the dirt. "I just wanted to make up for what I did a long time ago…"

"Yeah, and that was a _long time ago_," Ray said, losing patience quickly. "Whatever your problem was, nobody's gonna remember it. You ran away, didn't you? If you were to go back right now, I bet you they wouldn't remember it at all. They'd all be so happy to see you.

"And let me tell you about this guy. He _stole _someone's Pokémon, and they put him in jail, and he's out running around already. Trust me, they'll let you go free if you just let them know everything."

"They wouldn't understand," Logan said stubbornly. "You don't understand, either."

"I've made mistakes, too, you know. As long as you don't repeat them, nobody cares."

Logan sighed. "I can't. I can't do that. I really have to solve this myself, Ray. If I let someone else solve this problem for me, I'll never be able to let it go."

"It looks like you can't let it go, either way," Ray said dryly. Logan just wouldn't budge… but at least he was standing still and thinking, not running off.

Ray produced a Poké Ball slowly. "I want you to talk to this Pokémon," he said quietly, holding the ball up for him to see.

"What? What Pokémon?" Logan asked.

A flash of light. Logan's brother appeared before him, in Pokémon form, spreading his red wings and then folding them proudly. He was now fully a Pokémon, without any clumsiness or embarrassment at all.

"Stanley," Logan gasped, hugging the bird tightly.

* * *

><p>"Logan!" Acewing cried into the air as the human embraced him. "I missed you… I hope Ray's been convincing you to do the right thing."<p>

Logan stood there silently, feeling Acewing's feathers as if he couldn't believe they were real. After a minute he said, "I'm sorry I lost my temper and turned you into a Pokémon. It's just another way I've screwed up and ruined your life."

"It's not that bad, actually," Acewing said. "You turned me into a pretty cool—"

Logan continued. "Ray wants me to turn myself in, but I know they'll punish me for doing what I did. I bet you're still angry at me for turning you into a bird."

Acewing rolled his eyes. "Come on, Logan. You're too afraid of your own mistakes, ever since that battle we had. Nobody's going to punish you if you help them fix this like a true Ranger. And besides, I love this form you've given me—"

"Let's go, Stanley," Logan whispered. "I'll hop on you and hold on tight and we can fly to Opelucid City. Then we'll go to the tallest skyscraper and I'll—"

Acewing shook his head vigorously. "I know you can't hear me, but… If you hop on me, Logan, I'm taking you straight to the cops. And I promise they won't arrest you or anything. You can be the hero, but only if you let others help. Remember what they said in the Rangers? Always better to do things together than alone."

Ray intervened as well. "We gotta do something soon, Logan. Come on, I'll fly on my Skarmory and you can fly on Stanley. We'll go talk to the authorities so that they can round up the Pokémon or something, and then you can turn them all back at once. You'll get that redemption you wanted."

"Well… fine," Logan said, letting go of Acewing. "Stanley, how do I…"

Acewing crouched down, letting Logan climb on his back. "Hey, don't pull my feathers so hard," he said as various tufts were tugged and yanked.

"I remember flying on Pokémon when I was a Ranger…" Logan said to no one in particular.

Ray released Terne and told him where they were going to fly. Once Ray mounted, the Skarmory turned and nodded to Acewing. "Ready?"

"I've never flown with something on me before," Acewing said.

"Don't worry," Terne said, lifting up into the air. "It's easy! Just make sure they don't rip out your feathers!"

"Easy for you to say!" Acewing called, chasing after Terne. Logan held on tighter as the ground fell away beneath them.

* * *

><p>They flew towards the city. Acewing felt tense, flying with his brother on his back. Logan was thinking of something, that was for sure. He couldn't give up his plans so easily.<p>

"So the two of you are brothers," Terne said, glancing across at Acewing and Logan. "I've always wondered about siblings. I wonder if I have one somewhere."

Terne's voice carried sharply over the wind, but Acewing had to yell to be heard. "Do you think I should try to get turned back?"

"As a fellow avian, I have to say no," Terne said. "I like talking to you. Don't tell me you want to be trapped on the ground after flying like this."

"That's true… but I won't be able to talk to humans again."

"They can talk to you, though. If you go human, you won't hear us anymore."

"I guess I'll try and—hey!" Acewing's head jerked to the right. Logan was trying to pull him away in another direction. "Let go of my head!"

He heard Logan murmuring to himself. "Just cooperate this one time, Stanley," he said, leaning in close.

Terne closed in. "What's his problem?"

"He wants me to take him somewhere without Ray!" Acewing said, struggling to fly straight. Logan pulled out his Styler—it glowed even more brightly now that the sun was setting—and started looping it around Acewing desperately.

Terne swerved away, nearly dropping Ray in the process, and Acewing dived to escape from the Capture Styler.

"I'm sorry, Stanley!" Logan cried as they plummeted.

"Stop apologizing and just leave me alone, then!" Acewing huffed, enraged to be treated like a wild Pokémon. "Why do you always have to solve things solo?"

Ray and Terne swooped down. "Please, Logan!" Ray pleaded.

"Don't come near, or I'll use the Styler on you," Logan warned. "Just let me do my plan. It'll work out." He petted Acewing's side. "We've gotta go, Stanley, if we want to solve this."

"I keep telling you the police won't arrest you!" Ray urged. "If you tell them you can stop the messed-up Pokémon, then they'll do whatever you want!"

"No, they won't. Come on, Stanley."

But Acewing didn't move. He stayed in the same spot in midair, no matter how much Logan tried to nudge him forward. If he had to, he could be as unwavering as his brother.

"Listen carefully, Ray," Logan called. "And Stanley." He held up the Styler, glowing like a top-shaped nightlight. "When Pokémon evolve, they release a ton of energy. Untapped, wasted energy. So when I evolved my Eevee, I got the Styler to capture it all. This Styler's probably the strongest one in the world now. I mean, my Styler was state-of-the-art before, but now it's unique and more powerful than anything…"

"It's a few years out of date, you know," Acewing murmured.

Logan waved the Styler around using his baton. "I don't like doing this, but I really have to get my way here. I _know _my plan will work! So you just have to trust me! You have to let Stanley and I go off on our own. If you try to stop me, I'll circle your Pokémon and control him! It can control Trainer Pokémon when it's got enough energy!"

"That better not be true!" Terne called out. "I'll destroy that toy if you mess with me or Ray!"

"And you, Stanley. If you don't cooperate… I'll have to do the same thing to you. It's just like capturing a wild Pokémon, remember? It won't hurt you. But I'll only do it if you don't help me."

"Don't do it!" Terne cried.

"I'm sorry, Logan, but you'll have to force me, then," Acewing sighed, sinking slowly in the air. "Ray, you could at least call the cops."

"See, Logan?" Ray said. How many times would it take to convince him? "Stanley doesn't want you to go risking yourself in a mob of angry Pokémon!"

"Fine, then!" Logan yelled back. His Styler shot out into the air, hovering like a tiny alien spaceship, and then it began to draw a circle in the sky. Up and down it went, circling Stanley. Each time the Styler completed a loop, a flash of light dazzled everyone—and Stanley cried out.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" Terne yelled. "Acewing! Listen to me!"

"I know my brother," the Braviary said, his wingbeats halfhearted. "I'm not being pessimistic when I say there's no way to—augh!—no way to stop him."

"I'm—I'm going to attack him!" Terne declared. "I can't let him do this to you!"

* * *

><p>Dread flooded all over Ray as he and Terne watched Logan capture his own brother. It was like Twist Mountain—except this time a city was languishing in the background, waiting for them to stop fighting and save the day.<p>

Terne drifted forward, itching to fight Logan. He couldn't risk knocking Logan off, though, or else he would fall more than a hundred feet to the ground. Ray clutched Terne's sturdy feathers tightly in frustration—there was no way out without ruining something! If he attacked Logan, Logan could die. If he attacked the Styler, it could break, screwing up their chances of saving Opelucid. If he did nothing, he would be giving up Acewing.

Stanley.

Ray made his decision. "Okay, Terne, we have to stop Logan but we can't kill him or anything. He's pretty focused right now, so attack his Styler with the most precise move you've got. I trust you."

* * *

><p>The Styler was a satellite, zooming around Acewing at a speed that reduced it to a blur. At least fifty loops must have been made, yet the Braviary still held on.<p>

Terne steadied himself in the air, craned his neck forward, and stared right at the Styler. This prey wouldn't escape him, especially when it was harassing his new bird friend.

"Air Cutter," Terne whispered to himself. He held his breath for a second. "HYAH!" he cried suddenly, using his wings to whip up a blade made of air. The attack was timed to hit the Styler as it rose above Logan's head.

The Air Cutter attack, perfectly executed, hit the Styler. A monstrous crackling noise split the air, and blinding light forced everyone to turn away.

Terne was the first to look back. "Are you alright, Ace?"

"I'm… huff… hurts…" Acewing's wingbeats began to falter and slow down, filling Terne with alarm.

"No no no no!" Terne swooped down, ignoring anything Ray might be ordering. Up close, he looked into Acewing's eyes, and got a dull stare back. "Focus, Acewing!"

"He lied… he… it does hurt." His eyes faded and drooped.

"No no! Don't pass out!" Terne begged. "Don't pass out don't pass out! That's very important when you fly! You have to be conscious!"

"I thought… the Styler would… fill me with its en…er…gy," Stanley mumbled, almost incoherently. "But it… it just takes… and takes… it's messing… up… my head…"

* * *

><p>"Terne! Calm down!" Ray steadied himself. His Skarmory had swooped in close to Acewing, and he was making odd sounds. Whether the Skarmory was comforting or pleading to him, Ray didn't know.<p>

"Oh God!" Logan cried. "Your stupid bird attacked the Styler! It's overheating!" He was trying to dock the Styler into its place on the baton, but he was shifting it in his hands like it was scalding hot.

"Terne's not a stupid bird! Do you only care about your freaking Styler now?" Ray yelled. "You're hurting him! You're hurting Stanley!" If that didn't get Logan to snap out of it, nothing would.

"It's not connecting back in!" Logan groaned.

"Forget the Styler! What about Stanley. I should've stopped you sooner! Can't you tell he's really weak now?"

"Do you want me to save those Opelucid people or _not?"_ Logan shot back.

"Well yeah, but there isn't just one way to fix it! Your way is… too risky…" Ray felt a familiar sinking feeling inside. Maybe he should have let Logan go. Maybe Logan did have a good plan. But he was trying to be a hero. Saving an entire city just couldn't be done with one kid and a bootleg Styler!

Ray realized why he refused to let Logan go off. Something would go wrong, and the situation would get worse, and Logan would run away again, to who-knows-where, leaving a cityload of suffering behind. Ray didn't want everything to get worse, obviously, but he also felt something else… He didn't want Logan to hurt himself like he had before. That's what it was. Logan had screwed up trying to fix his own problems, and here he was, about to do it all over again—

Acewing jerked downwards suddenly, causing Terne to shriek in panic. Logan and his Pokémon brother were falling to the Earth at a lethal altitude.

As Terne dived, Ray clutched Tretters's ball, so that the Fearow could help Terne catch Acewing and Logan. But the ball clicked open without a flash of light. It was empty.

It was Acewing's Poké Ball. Ray panicked for a brief second, before taking a deep breath. Instead of fumbling around for Tretters's ball, he would save Acewing another way. He aimed its red laser shakily, both from nerves and the turbulence of flight.

"Come on… yes!" Ray got Acewing with the laser, and the poor ex-human returned to the safety of his Poké Ball.

"HELP ME!" Logan yelled from below, his voice barely audible through the wind.

"Catch him, Terne!" Ray yelled.

As Terne dutifully dived, Ray peered down—he couldn't keep himself from looking— and he saw Logan's falling body. They wouldn't make it in time! Terne folded up his wings as tightly as possible, but Logan was too far below.

Something else was there in midair. The Styler. It was falling faster, somehow, and when it hit the ground…

It exploded.

An inferno of all sorts of energy—fire, electricity, light—raged near the ground for nearly a whole minute. The updraft from the scorching heat nearly unseated Ray, but it was keeping them above the chaos. Terne cried out in terror, a hoarse screeching noise that Ray had never heard before.

Logan was consumed by the blast.

Ray held on so tightly to Terne that the steel feathers were starting to draw lines in his fingers. He shook from the disaster—and death—he had just witnessed. All of that energy had been evolutionary energy, trapped inside a little spinning top.

The thing was blinding, but Ray kept squinting at it. He thought he could see something in there, a figure moving around in the inferno. It was way too large to be Logan.

As flames dispersed, whatever was in there let out a terrifying, rumbling—

******RRRRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR**!****


	9. Sand

"Ready?" Logan asked. His Nidorina stood in front of him, poking the ground cheerfully.

"Yeah, I guess." Stanley shrugged, and Tretters hopped from his shoulder.

They were in a part of the forest nobody visited. Leaves littered the ground, and Tretters scattered some of them as he prepared for battle.

"Okay, so the Trainer people just tell their Pokémon attacks to do," Logan explained. "Three, two, one, go!"

Tretters hopped forward, watching the Nidorina. She didn't look interested in battling at all.

"Do I really have to fight her?" Tretters said, tilting his head. "I don't wanna hurt anyone."

"They'll be healed up right after," Stanley reminded. "And we can just stop whenever we want."

"Okay, Nidorina," Logan ordered. "Um… tackle him!"

Nidorina barked nervously, but eventually ran at Tretters and lunged at him at full speed. The two of them collided, rolling around in the leaves.

"Aah!" Tretters cried. "Take this!" Without any orders from Stanley, Tretters retaliated with a physical strike of his wings. Nidorina backed off, no longer afraid to battle.

"Sorry," Tretters mumbled. "Hiyah!" The two Pokémon began to playfight, crunching leaves and blowing them up in the air. Stanley could hear Tretters giggling, which was a relief. They weren't battling at all, just playing.

"Oh, come on, guys," Logan said. "Maybe I shouldn't have fought against Nidorina's best friend."

"AAH! Stop… tickling me!" Tretters said between fits of laughter.

"What's wrong, guys?" Rachel said, walking up to them. She was another Ranger, an Operator.

"Oh—hi, Rachel," Logan said nonchalantly.

"Okay. What're you guys up to?" She glared at the two Pokémon wrestling each other. "Can't control your partner Pokémon?"

"We're battling," Logan said defiantly. "Don't tell anyone, Rachel."

Rachel gave Logan a look of pure disapproval, crossing her arms. "Rangers aren't supposed to be doing that."

"But we just wanted to try! A boatload of people from Sinnoh came, and they're all 'Trainers' and stuff!"

"I'll talk to Hastings about it. He's probably concerned—"

"No, don't tell him!" interrupted Logan. "I don't want to get in trouble."

"My break is ending," Rachel said dryly. "I'll see you 'round."

"Stanley!" Logan said, expecting his brother to put up some kind of argument before Rachel could leave.

"We won't be in trouble… right?" Stanley said.

Rachel shook her head. "You know how Hastings is." She began to jog away.

"Wait, stop!" Logan said, running after her.

"We weren't even fighting," Tretters said, out of breath.

Stanley agreed. "I know, right?" He looked down at his Spearow. "How are you talking, Tretters?"

Tretters fluttered into the air. "I don't know, but I think we should follow Logan." The Ranger and his Nidorina had taken off after Rachel.

"Hold on a second," Stanley told his Pokémon. "You've never talked before. It's not possible."

"Of course it's possible. You can talk to Pokémon, if you're a Pokémon."

"But I'm not a Pokémon, Tretters."

Tretters didn't say anything. Stanley ran through the woods after Logan, confused. He felt like something critically important was going on, and he was missing it. He had no idea what it could be, though. Nothing was going on, with one exception—Logan was panicking about his flawless Ranger record again.

* * *

><p>Ray coughed and spat out grains of sand. Neither he nor Terne could see what was going on, because a sandstorm had come from nowhere.<p>

"You can see well, right?" Ray told his Skarmory. "Watch out for whatever's down there."

The storm was incredibly windy, though, and Terne had trouble flying straight. The two of them sank deeper into the sandstorm, and Ray buried his face in Terne's durable feathers.

"Just try to fly away!" Ray yelled. Since Acewing was withdrawn into his ball, nobody would be left behind if Ray and Terne just left.

Except for whatever was making the sandstorm—Ray knew it had to be the monster that roared before.

Another roar, right in front of them. Before Terral could turn around, he flew right into a huge creature, at least a dozen feet tall. Ray caught a glimpse of a tough, greenish hide before Terne thudded against the monster's side. It roared aggressively, and a set of claws closed around Terne's neck.

"Let… go!" Ray yelled, trying vainly to punch the monster's hands. Tretters fluttered his wings, screeching desperately, but the big Pokémon had a tight grip.

RRROOOAAARRR! It moved its arm back, then flung Terne away like a Poké Doll. Ray lost his grip—his Pokémon disappeared in the howling sandstorm. Sand blasted his face, and he yelled, falling helplessly, until he suddenly crashed into a pile of sand on the ground.

Ray rested there for a while, dazed, until the monster roared again. Farther away. Ray sat up, shaking off the sand—the sandstorm was weaker. It seemed to follow the monster around.

Ray opened ball after ball, releasing almost every Pokémon he had. He left Archie in, because the little fossil Pokémon was way too young to fight. And Acewing had fainted.

"Okay, guys," Ray said. Spolt, Dax, Tretters, and Felsin watched him anxiously, wondering what was going on. "We all have to team up on one Pokémon. It's really big, and it's at the center of this sandstorm. I don't know its weaknesses, so just use your toughest attacks. I'll—"

A screech from above interrupted Ray. Terne flew into sight, almost slamming the ground in haste, and seemed to convey something to the other Pokémon. They all scattered at once, with various reactions—Dax silently jumped out of sight, while Felsin cried out in terror. Spolt barked and tugged at Ray's shirt.

"What—" was all Ray could say before a shockwave knocked him back twenty feet. The sand on the ground and in the air shielded him as he flew back, but it still felt like the ground was repeatedly punching him all over his body.

"Ugh…" Ray groaned. He felt something grab his arm, pulling him up out of the small dune in which he had buried himself. "Let… go!"

But it was Tretters, who was grabbing Ray with his beak. He let go and cawed reassuringly. Terne landed next to him, looking worn and beaten.

"Are you… alright, Terne?" Ray coughed, spitting out sand. The grains were everywhere, and it was hopeless trying to remove them. "Let's regroup outside of this… stupid sandstorm."

* * *

><p>"Crap… crap… I'm screwed now," Spolt said to himself, glancing in every direction. How could he lose sight of Dax? "With my luck, that Pokémon'll be ground-type, and it'll kick my ass."<p>

He dashed through the sandstorm, keeping an eye out for any teammates. The roaring thing was behind him, for now, so he'd be safe if he kept moving forward.

"Come on, Dax. Terne, Felsin, anybody!" Spolt yelled into the sandstorm. He regretted it immediately, because sand flew into his mouth and his voice was drowned out by the wind.

He kept walking until the storm began to ease up. Spolt turned around and sighed to himself. The sandstorm was like a gritty, turbulent fog that covered the landscape in front of him. Faint roaring sounds emanated from it.

"Aw, man," Spolt muttered. "I didn't want to run away from the whole thing."

"H-hello?" said someone nearby. "You're not the monster, right?"

Spolt spun around and realized he had been about to walk into a forest. Cowering behind one of the first trees was a scrawny Jolteon—a very young one.

"No, kid, I'm not the monster," Spolt said. "It's in the sandstorm somewhere. Where'd you come from?"

"My Trainer, Logan… he evolved me… and then later I went back in my ball… and then all of a sudden I was in a sandstorm and my ball was fried! And I just ran away… Loooogaaaaan!" The Jolteon slumped against the tree and began to wail.

"Oh, so you're one of his…" Spolt sat down next to the Jolteon. "Hey kid, what's your name?"

"Eevee…"

"Well, you're not an Eevee anymore. You're a Jolteon. Here, put your paw on mine."

Jolteon sniffled and weakly pawed at Spolt's arm. When they made contact, Spolt sent a strong charge through Jolteon, enough to power a few light bulbs for a minute. Jolteon jumped back in surprise, but Spolt could see hisfur perking up, and the kid was starting to fully realize that he was an electric Pokémon.

Jolteon sniffed. "Wow… electricity feels so fuzzy," he said, his misery forgotten.

"Yeah, it's great…" Spolt said, staring out at the sandstorm. He should be in there, helping his friends. "Look, I have to go back in that sandy mess, so you stay here and I'll come looking for you when this is all over. Alright?"

"I wanna stay with you," Jolteon said. "I don't wanna be alone again."

Spolt knew how to deal with babies like Archie, but not little kids. "Well… okay, but you've got to stay close to me. So close that the static sticks us together."

Jolteon giggled and followed Spolt back into the sandstorm. "Are we gonna see the monster?" he asked carefully.

"Maybe," Spolt said. "I won't let it hurt ya."

* * *

><p>Ray stared out at the sandstorm, feeling like a huge idiot. He had Tretters and Terne with him, but a handful of his Pokémon were lost in the whirling torrent of sand. He wanted to go out and rescue them, but it was a long shot, especially when that huge Pokémon was lumbering around somewhere. It roared occasionally, giving Ray an idea of where the center of the sandstorm was.<p>

It was moving away from him… toward Opelucid City. They had enough to deal with already! They didn't need a giant sand monster to make things worse.

"We have to turn it around," Ray said, glancing again at his C-Gear. The Styler explosion must've screwed it up, because it was glitching and not opening phone mode. Ray couldn't call anyone.

"You two attack it from the air," Ray said to Terne and Tretters. "I know you have keen eyesight. Keep attacking it from the same direction, so that it turns around, and then get it to follow you. Away from town. Okay?"

The birds nodded and flew off. Ray wiped some leftover sand from his face, glancing around nervously. He had no Pokémon with him.

He felt defenseless.

"I'm going to hate sand for a very long time," he murmured to himself as he ran toward the sandstorm. He had to find his other Pokémon and get his plan underway: If the monster does turn around, then it'll head into the forest, where the sandstorm should weaken. Then, they could fight it.

* * *

><p>"Dax!" Felsin cried. "Dax, Dax!" He waved his claws frantically. "Over here!"<p>

"There you are," Dax said. The Houndoom growled. "This damn sand is getting on my nerves."

"I found Logan's Nidoqueen," Felsin said, introducing her in the middle of the sandstorm. "His Pokémon must've been freed during the explosion Terne was talking about. He flew by and told me he was going with Tretters to distract the monster!"

A startling roar, uncomfortably close by. "Any idea what that monster _is?_" Nidoqueen asked. "We need to know its weaknesses."

"I was thinking Tyranitar," offered Dax. "Really seems to be one, and the whole sandstorm deal."

"It's way too big to be a Tyranitar," Nidoqueen countered. "It's more than twice as tall."

"Well, that might be the explosion's doing. Terne said it unleashed an indescribable amount of energy. Like a bomb. Maybe it got supersized—"

"Hey guys," interjected Felsin. "Tyranitar's classified as, like, rock-type, right? How do we beat that?"

"Water. Water could work," Dax said. "How we would bring enough water in this sandstorm is beyond me."

"There's grass, too," Nidoqueen said. "Doesn't that beat rock?"

"_Paper_ beats rock," said Felsin facetiously. "Wait no, I have a real idea! Aren't Manectrics supposed to, like, be able to summon thunderstorms? They're like _the _Lighting Pokémon! We just have to get Spolt!"

"And that would bring tons of water! Felsin, you're a genius," Dax barked. "You go find him, then. Nidoqueen and I will help the birds distract the Tyranitar."

"Here goes!" Felsin yelled, disappearing into the sandy haze. "Spolt! Spooooolt! If you can hear me, use Flash or something!"

"Okay, old dog," Nidoqueen said as she and Dax sped towards the tall, roaring dark shape in the center of the sandstorm. "Show me what you've got."

"I'm not that old!" Dax howled.

"This is what we'll do," Nidoqueen declared. "The birds are distracting its head, so we'll get its feet. If it tries to stomp on you with one foot, and then on me with the other, we can get it to walk in the direction the birds want."

"You can't… be serious," the Houndoom said, coughing out a lungful of sand. He stopped running for a moment—the monster was right in front of them, roaring up at Terne and Tretters.

"Well, the more distracted it is, the less likely it'll hurt _anyone_," Nidoqueen reasoned. "Let's just do it. Unless you're scared…"

It was the classic trick, but Dax chose to give in anyway. "Deal," he growled.

* * *

><p>Ray finally found Spolt, Felsin, and Logan's Jolteon wandering around in the sandstorm. Felsin jumped, ecstatic to see him, but Spolt kept walking. The Jolteon stared at Ray intently, like the Pokémon was sizing him up.<p>

"There you are!" Ray said. His voice was getting hoarse from all the sand flying about. "Okay, guys. Terne and Tretters… are distracting the big Pokémon thing! If we get it into the forest, then the sandstorm might die out." Ray began walking into the wind, in the direction of the roaring sounds.

Ray glanced back after a second, but the three Pokémon weren't following. "Come on!" he urged.

Spolt barked anxiously, looking back in the opposite direction.

"Don't be scared, guys!" Ray cried. "We can do this! Don't run away!"

Both Spolt and Felsin whined in unison, and trudged along behind their Trainer. The Jolteon silently followed. Once again, Ray was marching right into danger.

* * *

><p>"Turn around, Ray," Spolt muttered. "For crying out loud… I can't make a thunderstorm in the middle of all this flying sand!"<p>

"Zap him," Felsin barked. "I think our plan is better than his."

"But he's our Trainer," mumbled Spolt. "We should follow him through everything."

"Even _that_?" Felsin said, looking up. "That's the Tyranitar!" A dark shape stood over them, facing away. It stomped the ground over and over, lumbering away slowly. Its giant bludgeon of a tail turned one way and then the other, spreading sand over the ground.

"I-I wanna go back," the Jolteon whimpered. "Why'd you follow the human here?"

Spolt glanced away. He'd promised to keep the Jolteon safe, and Ray would have to just deal with it.

"Felsin," the Manectric said. "I'm going to take the Jolteon to safety, and while I'm out there, I'll try to make that thunderstorm. You go stay with Ray."

"You should run now!" Felsin yelled over a deafening roar. "Ray's distracted. And so is the Tyranitar!"

"Dax!" Ray said, his voice far away. "Don't get crushed! Attack it!"

"Okay, kid," Spolt said, trotting away from the battle. "Let's get outta—"

"Watch out!" Felsin barked.

Another roar, but more agitated. The Tyranitar's huge tail came swinging over the ground with enough force to tear down walls. The Jolteon was small enough to flatten against the ground and avoid the blow, but the tail slammed into Spolt like a wrecking ball. All of a sudden the ground was gone—even in midair, pain began to consume his senses. When he crashed to the ground, he barely felt anything but a constant pain, almost like his entire body was one big bruise.

After half a minute, Ray came running. "Spolt," he said quietly—he couldn't yell anymore. He knelt down next to Spolt. "Not you _too_—I was going to get to you sooner, but the thing stomped on Dax and I had to save him, but I couldn't because the laser couldn't make it—here, get in the ball—"

"W-wait," Spolt said, pushing the Poké Ball away. "I have to do the thunderstorm…" He began to focus, despite all his pain, and prepared a lightning attack, but instead of calling the electricity from his own body, he… tried to pull it from the atmosphere. He hoped if he did it long enough, a thunderstorm would form over his head.

But he'd never done it before.

"Just get in the ball, Spolt," Ray said sternly. "You can't even stand up, can you? We don't have time for this!"

Spolt snapped at the ball, growling half-heartedly. He just couldn't do it well against his own Trainer. "No!" If he got locked up in that ball, the whole plan was ruined.

"What's wrong with you?" Ray cried. "You can't fight like this!"

Spolt responded with equal agitation. "I wish you got turned into a Pokémon! Then you could hear me!" He struggled to stand up, but his weak foot protested.

"I have to help the other Pokémon," Ray said, looking down at his feet. "You know how it goes… I don't know why you're so stubborn now, but this is for your own good." Then he pointed the ball's laser at Spolt's head.

"NO!" Spolt yelled as he was reduced to a pattern of light. The world disappeared from his view, and was quickly replaced with the artificial, virtual landscape of the Poké Ball. To Spolt's irritation, there was sand strewn everywhere, just like the outside world.

"Great," Spolt said, with no one listening. "I hate sand." He didn't bother getting up from the simulated ground. "We're screwed." He began to whine faintly, because his leg was starting to throb relentlessly on top of all the other pain washing over him. Being in the ball didn't help anything, either.

"Ray," he called quietly. "You gotta stop _caring_ so much for once." He sniffed. "And I need to stop with the tears..."

* * *

><p>"One down, like four more to go," Ray sighed, trotting with the Jolteon right behind him. He made his way back to the Tyranitar and searched for any of his Pokémon, but none of them were walking about. The only one still fighting was the Nidoqueen, and even she was audibly grunting with pained exhaustion. If any of the Pokémon were knocked out or injured badly, Ray couldn't see them. And the birds were all the way up there, focused on the Tyranitar. Ray didn't bother yelling for them—his voice would give out before they heard.<p>

"Crap…" he muttered to himself. "My Pokémon…" Where were they? He stayed a safe distance away from the huge Tyranitar, about twenty feet, but the sandstorm continued to assault him. It was like a rainstorm with wind so strong that the rain flew in sideways… but everything was _sand_. It blocked out the background, scratched against every imaginable place, and reduced everything nearby to shadows and glimpses.

"If only I could change the weather," Ray muttered. Maybe the Styler could've turned him into Kyogre or something. He'd be stuck on land, but at least it would be raining.

A flurry of sand smacked his face, killing the daydream. If only he _had_ some sort of water Pokémon! Felsin loved water, but had no water moves. What about changing the weather? Ray only had a bunch of birds, an old dog, and an electric type…

As Ray blanked out and stared at the Tyranitar, he realized two things at once. One of them was that his Pokémon were probably beaten into unconsciousness, or maybe in even worse condition. Only Terne and Tretters were still in the fray—the Nidoqueen backed off, plummeting into the sand like an exhausted person falls into bed.

The other thing he realized was that Spolt was a Manectric, and Manectrics were supposed to be able to make thunderstorms.

That meant rain, too.

Ray scanned the ground desperately, one last time, hoping to see one last Pokémon he could save. Spolt would have to be taken outside of the sandstorm to actually get at the atmosphere, which meant Ray had to desert his Pokémon.

He turned away quickly. After walking away for a second, he steeled himself and started to jog, kicking up sand. Finally, he broke into a run. He told himself that they were hurt already, and leaving them wouldn't change anything about that. He blocked out a few possibilities that were too frightening to consider… Instead, he occupied himself by focusing on his goal.

He was saving everyone by abandoning them. The paradox of it all entertained his tired mind for some reason. He was probably going insane, and it didn't really surprise him. The inside of his head was probably coated with sand.

The sand was much calmer after a few minutes of running. A handful of grains whirled around at his feet tamely. Panting, he released Spolt, who looked shocked to be out again.

"Spolt… make… the thunderstorm…" Ray said, breathless. "Make it rain…"

Ray really felt insane at that moment, because Spolt seemed to give him the most exasperated look a Pokémon could possibly give. The Manectric even shook his head, as if disappointed.

Spolt crouched, low to the ground. He gave it a long sniff, as if filling his nose with the smell of the earth. Then he looked upwards, to the sky. In one loud cry, he summoned the rest of his strength and seemed to send a bolt of electricity _upwards_ into the sky. The bright light went up immediately and disappeared into the overcast sky. Ray thought he could feel the weather changing, but no rain fell.

"You can do it, Spolt," Ray said. "That was a good try." He kneeled to hold his Pokémon, but his tired legs gave way and he fell into a tight embrace. He felt Spolt's fur, peppered with sand, against his face.

The Jolteon approached silently, watching fearfully as Spolt tried to control the atmosphere. He barked in frustration, and shook his head violently. He wasn't having any luck at all.

"Hey Jolteon…" Ray muttered. He quietly whispered to it, "When you see Spolt about to do that again, you have to zap _him_. He's a perfect lightning rod, and it won't hurt him. It'll make him stronger."

Spolt trembled, and Ray thought he could hear crying. When was the last time Spolt had cried? Ray couldn't remember.

Time was probably running out. If not, they were definitely starting to waste it. "Hurry, Spolt!" Ray urged. "You can do it!" He watched the Jolteon, who timidly watched Spolt.

As the poor Manectric prepared a second attack, the Jolteon whimpered and bristled his fur. The needles emitted a small shockwave of electricity, and it all went straight to Spolt.

A yelp—the electricity took him by surprise. But Spolt immediately continued what he was doing, and then he let out a scream. The electric power didn't go off as a bolt of lightning, but simply diffused off of Spolt's coat.

"What happened?" Ray said. "Spolt!"

He rushed over to his very first Pokémon, who had fainted from the exertion. Ray briefly panicked about a couple horrendous things at once, but there was only one thing to do. "Thanks so much, Spolt," he said, taking out his ball to withdraw the Manectric one last time. "I'm sorry I… you know." As he stood up, he felt something wet land on his arm. At first he thought it was a tear, but he wasn't crying.

It was starting to rain.

"You're doing it!" Ray said, giving Spolt a big hug. Spolt fell over, leaving them both on the ground. The rain fell as a sprinkling, and then a shower.

"You're amazing, Spolt," said Ray, even though his Manectric seemed to be sleeping. Ray finally withdrew him, this time with nothing but relief. As he trotted back to the Tyranitar several hundred feet away, the rain turned into a downpour. It really was true then, what the Dex said about Manectric. And Spolt had done it all on his own.

The sand was no longer flying around. It swirled in puddles on the ground, sometimes mud and other times gritty water. The Tyranitar roared with renewed ferocity—the weather was no longer on its side! In fact, the water was irritating the oversized Pokémon, and it seemed to be raging at nothing but the sky.

Now that the Tyranitar was completely distracted and the rain was subduing the sand, Ray could see all of his Pokémon. But it nearly gave him a panic attack—Dax was crumpled up by the Tyranitar's feet, Felsin was face down in the mud, and Tretters was limping his way.

"Man…" Ray whispered. "Thank you, Tretters, for helping us." The Fearow nodded and pecked at Ray's belt weakly.

"Oh, sorry," Ray said, withdrawing Tretters. He ran over to Felsin and pushed him into a sitting position. He was completely knocked out, so Ray withdrew him too.

As Ray stood up, impossibly bright light and a deafening explosion suddenly assaulted him. As soon as he recovered, he looked up, hoping that lightning was starting to strike. To his horror, though, he only saw Terne falling from the sky—it had struck him instead.

"Terne!" Ray yelled, sprinting over. Terne was writhing on the ground, suffering from the lightning's paralysis effect. The injured Skarmory made a faint high-pitched cry, wide-eyed.

Ray wanted to say something meaningful, but there was still no time to lose. "It'll be alright," he said quickly, withdrawing Terne. One more to go…

The Tyranitar, who clearly loathed the rain, began to go completely berserk, roaring up at the heavens. Ray stood back and watched as the heavens responded by striking the towering Pokémon with a large—and oddly beautiful—bolt of lightning, arcing straight into the Tyranitar's head. The electricity disappeared in an instant, but the damage was incredible. The water acted as a conductor, making the lightning strike more powerful than anything Ray's entire team could come up with. The Tyranitar trembled like a bridge on a windy day, and then it lost its footing. It didn't fall like some giant tree—instead, it acted oddly like a defeated person. Defeated, it collapsed and fell forward—its head crashed down first, and then its body, all the way to the tail. The earth rumbled a few times from the impact. Thunder clapped in the distance, punctuating the moment. A weak roar from the side—the Nidoqueen stumbled into view, pressing herself against the Tyranitar's huge body in anguish.

Lights in the distance. Sirens. The Jolteon howled in a small voice, staring out at the bright, blue and green police lights. It was only one car, driving towards Ray through sheets of rain.

"What the hell," Ray panted, sopping wet. "They really _do_ only arrive… right at the end."

"Not my fault you didn't dial us," a tall policeman said, climbing out of the car. Standing next to him was a familiar figure in a black and brown conductor's outfit.

"I see a spectacular battle has taken place here," Ingo said, nodding to Ray. "And I missed it!" He walked out to the collapsed Tyranitar, putting his hand on its midsection. "This Tyranitar looks… more ferocious than a runaway engine. You know, defeating it on your own takes some talent as a Trainer..."

"I'm not _that_ strong," Ray insisted.

"Well, of course. It was—"

"My Pokémon, too," Ray sighed. He searched near the Tyranitar's thick tail, finally finding Dax underneath a pile of sand, absolutely trampled. The Houndoom lay motionless—no, he was breathing faintly. Ray solemnly withdrew him, embarrassed that Ingo was watching. "I just got really lucky, you know? My Pokémon love me enough to… to deal with me when I'm acting like an idiot."

Ingo laughed as he walked Ray to the police car. "Ray, that is what being a good Trainer's all about. Even good Trainers' Pokémon get hurt every once in a while. More often than you think, actually. By the size of your opponent here, I think it's acceptable to... incur a few losses. Your Pokémon will be fine!"

"Come on you two, let's get outta the rain," the only cop on the scene said. "We're all gonna be busy tonight. Nice call on this by the way, Ingo."

"I know a battle unfolding when I see one," Ingo said, hopping in the car.

"Oh, please. It was all just sand."

Ray sat in the backseat with the Nidoqueen and Jolteon—Logan's Pokémon… Ray was way too tired to feel any more sadness about _anything_, though, so he began to doze off. He leaned against the Jolteon without realizing it, passing out against the damp yellow fur.


	10. Departure

Stanley ran through the woods—but with all of the briars and bushes, he was hopping more than running. He eventually found a trail that zigzagged through the woods, and he picked up speed. "Logan, wait up!" he called. He could just barely spot Logan's uniform ahead. Tretters flew above him, no longer saying anything. That was good enough for Stanley, because seeing his Pokémon talk was incredibly unnerving.

"Poison Sting!" he heard Logan say up ahead. After a moment he added, "Well… just do it!"

"That doesn't sound good," Tretters commented in midair.

"Is that some sort of attack?" Stanley asked. "I think I know it from somewhere."

"He's poisoning something, obviously," Tretters said.

That couldn't end well. "Logan!" Stanley called again, reaching a break in the woods. Logan and Rachel stood there, lit up in the bright sun as if under a spotlight, and Rachel was on the ground.

"Loooogan…" she moaned. "What's… wrong with you? You idiot—humans get poisoned, too!"

"I-I thought…" Logan said. He glanced down at his Nidorina helplessly.

The Nidorina threw her little hands up. "Wasn't my fault." She glanced at Tretters, and added defensively, "I mean, it _was _me, but Logan told me to do it. He practically _tossed _me at her, saying _Poison Sting, _so what else was I supposed to do?"

"_You _can talk, too?" Stanley said in disbelief. Something must've hit him in the head on the way, or infected his brain, because Pokémon were speaking to him all of a sudden.

"It's okay, Nidorina," Tretters said, flapping over to her. "It's easy to cure your poison."

"Logan's a doofus," she said. "Always overreacting to everything."

As the two Pokémon talked, Logan ran up to Stanley. "You take her to the hospital. I bet they can heal her up easily—"

"Whoa, wait," Stanley said. "You did this, so you have to take her."

"I… I thought the attack would just get her attention and get her to stop," Logan explained. "I didn't think it would—"

"You didn't think something called 'Poison Sting' would poison me?" Rachel said sourly. "I could imagine a rookie Ranger saying that, but not you." She sat up, trembling a little. "Logan, no matter what crap you pull, I'm going to… tell the Prof…" The poison seemed to defeat her, and she hunched over, unconscious.

Tretters folded his wings. "Humans are seriously stupid."

"Well, Logan is, at least," Nidorina said. "I can't believe this is happening."

"I think Logan will do anything to try and fix things... but he sure likes to make things spiral out of control, doesn't he?"

"Where are you going?" Stanley cried. Logan was acting even more rashly than he usually did, running away like he had murdered someone.

"I killed her, that's probably it. She just died. I saw her die," he said in an intense, melodramatic voice. "I have to run away from here, and you're going to cover for me." He picked up the Nidorina, petting her as if in forgiveness for the attack she faithfully executed.

"Why would I _cover_ for you?" Stanley said. He crouched down and felt Rachel's wrist. "She's not dead… There's a pulse here, you know—"

But Logan was gone already. The trampling of leaves underfoot told Stanley which way he went, but he'd never catch up. Logan was the better runner.

"What now?" Stanley asked his bird. "Logan's going to do something stupid again, but Rachel's poisoned…"

"Go get Simon, he's big enough to carry Rachel," Tretters suggested. I'll stay here to make sure nothing happens to her. Go on."

"You're pushier than I thought you'd be—"

"She's _poisoned_, Stanley."

And with that, the confused Ranger hit the trail again and made his way to the nearest Ranger building.

* * *

><p>Stanley burst through the automated double doors, halting the activity around him. Everyone stared in shock as he said, "Rachel's poisoned. Has anyone seen Simon or someone else who'll carry her?"<p>

Nobody responded. The base's one receptionist gaped, letting phone calls ring unanswered. People waiting for the elevator stared at him, and the elevator came and left with no passengers. The few Rangers loitering in the lobby looked at Stanley like he had come to rob the place or something.

Then the Rangers murmured to each other nervously.

"What do you think it's doing?" one said.

Another Ranger stood up from a bench by the wall. "Never seen one like that before," he said.

"Must be some tourist's," the receptionist said with disapproval. "Some people just let 'em loose. Probably that cruise ship. We'll have a hundred missing Pokémon reports by tomorrow…"

"You ever seen anything like that?" said the second Ranger.

"No, man," said the first, approaching his friend. "Stanley's the bird expert… but wow, I love the colors."

Stanley took a step forward. "Guys?" he said faintly. "It's me." He looked at the last Ranger to speak—a relatively new one, with thin rectangular glasses and a uniform that looked like it had been thrown on in ten seconds. His name was Larry, or something. "_I'm _Stanley," Stanley told him.

Larry stepped back, like Stanley was somehow threatening him. "You got this?" he asked his friend quickly. "It looks _tough_."

Larry's friend glanced back, but the only other Rangers were behind the counter. And the people by the elevator had since escaped to another floor. "Well, fine…" Larry's friend said tentatively, "but if he's too strong, you better help me." The Ranger pulled out his Styler, and the top quickly darted around the room like a possessed toy. It formed shaky, squiggly loops around Stanley, who was simply dumbstruck by what was going on.

"Well gee, this is an easy capture," the receptionist said, losing interest in the scene. "Tell me what species that is when you get it."

"Guys, this isn't funny," Stanley said, watching the Styler loop around him. He would stand there sternly, until the Rangers realized the prank couldn't faze him. "I need your help."

After about a dozen loops, Stanley suddenly felt his senses shift. He was a bit lower to the ground, and his vision was much sharper, but he felt like the Styler was actually having an effect on him.

"Relax," the Styler seemed to say. "I don't mean any harm."

"Guys?" Stanley tried to ask. But only a timid squawk come out. "What's going on?" More startling eagle sounds came from his mouth—his beak.

"Don't worry," the Styler went on. "We're completely harmless. _You're_ the one with the power."

Stanley stopped to think. Is… is that what the Styler said to Pokémon? And… and did that mean _he _was a Pokémon? He tried to look down at himself, but for some reason he was held immobile.

"Let me go!" he cried to the Styler. He was vaguely aware that his voice was piercing, high-pitched. "I'm not a Pokémon!"

"But you are," the Styler said. "You're not human. You'll never be human. But you can help us. We're Rangers. We stand for…"

Its odd, lax voice was drowned out by its own droning hum. The light and sound became blinding and deafening, and Stanley just wished it would all go away.

"I don't want to be a Pokémon!" Stanley said to something. He had no idea whether it was the Styler, himself, or no one at all. "Turn me back! Change me back NOW!" His last word rang out, like an anguished battle cry.

The din and chaos was beginning to convert from sensory nonsense to actual _pain._ It washed over Stanley like a wave hits the beach—sharp and penetrating at first, and then wide and dull. It built up quickly, becoming a crescendo that crossed the usual limits of pain. Then, the agony shot straight through Stanley and back, splitting him into pieces, like a violent lightning strike—

* * *

><p>Acewing twisted sideways in horror. He would've screamed, but the intensity of what he had just experienced left him entirely speechless. Opening his eyes slowly, he felt the best relief in the world—he was lying in a hospital bed, and there was no pain at all—just soreness. In fact, the pain in his dream—well, nightmare—seemed a bit fake to him now that he was awake. He dimly hoped the dream wouldn't recur. Maybe the Styler had triggered it somehow.<p>

Thunder rumbled outside. He was in a ward… lying on a padded hospital bed. On either side of him were more beds, with more Pokémon: On his left he saw Spolt lying with a splint on one leg, and Dax with bandages all over his side; on the right, Terne with a large scorch mark on his back that branched down like a thin tree, and Felsin snoozing with a few ice packs strapped on. Acewing could see Tretters's brown feathers nearly obscured from view, rising up and down slowly. There were also a few more beds back there, lost in the darkness of the room. It was like a long hallway with beds along one wall, as if designed to care for large groups of Pokémon simultaneously.

After the startling dream, Acewing had no intention of going back to sleep. He carefully got up and slid off the bed, and the soreness instantly magnified when he landed on the floor, but he didn't care. When he tried to walk away, he tripped at first—the dream had gotten him used to moving like a human. He slowly put a foot forward, sighed, and snuck away.

No one stirred as Acewing left, making faint, languid clicks on the hospital's tiled floor. He made his way down the halls of the hospital—or Pokémon Center, whatever it was. He was determined to at least explore a bit before someone caught him. If there was one advantage to being an animal, it was that he wasn't subject to the expectations and judgment of other humans. He could roam the hospital, and getting caught only meant going back to sleep. If all else failed, he could try to act cute.

But that reminded him—he was a Pokémon. No matter where he went, there would be a human in charge of him. It was great to be a strong, virtuous bird and all—Acewing had always liked birds—but he couldn't talk to people anymore. He could fly as much as he wanted, but he would always have to return to a human's side.

He was liberated, but not free. The paradox annoyed Acewing—there wasn't a right answer. Human or Pokémon? Both were good, but... he would have to pick one.

Acewing found himself at a back door, the way out of the meticulously clean hospital. The rain hissed in the darkness outside. Acewing didn't mind getting wet, so he pushed open the door and stumbled outdoors.

The back area of the hospital was poorly lit, but Acewing simply walked along the smooth gray walls, letting his feathers soak in the rain. He just needed some time to himself, and maybe he would feel alright again about his avian form. He walked until he heard a low whining sound, of something hurt crying into the night. He cautiously approached, until he found the Pokémon by a loading area. To his relief, it was locked up in a cage.

As he drew close, he saw it was a Tyranitar. For some reason, the humans had left it out in the rain instead of in the hospital. That was obviously why it was crying—like a betrayed child.

Its back was turned. Acewing watched it whimper for a minute, until he remembered that he could speak to Pokémon.

"…Hello?" Acewing said.

The Tyranitar stopped suddenly, mid-cry. It turned around in its large cage and tried to stand, but the cage was too small for that. The Tyranitar glared at Acewing, as if silently demanding to be removed from the pouring rain.

"What're you doing here?" Acewing asked. He assumed the Tyranitar was an adult, of course, even though it had been crying like a lost toddler.

"Rrrrrrhh," growled the Tyranitar. It didn't seem in the mood for speech. It pressed up against the cage, close to Acewing's face. Something about the Tyranitar was familiar, but it was hard to place.

"Do I know you?" Acewing inquired.

"Rrrghh!" The Tyranitar trembled, as if struggling to express something. It furiously lashed out with one claw, but the attack bounced off the cage harmlessly with a clang. Struck with pain, the Tyranitar sank down in its sad cage, holding its hand and crying again. Acewing's guess was that it was just down in the dumps at the moment—but something was so familiar…

"Hey," Acewing said, rustling himself to get the Tyranitar's attention. "Are you… are you Logan? Did you get—"

"RRRAAAAOOOORRRR!" the Tyranitar roared, lunging as much as a caged Pokémon could lunge. The cage rocked and nearly tipped over, but it fell back with a damp splash.

Acewing looked into the Tyranitar's eyes. He thought the idea was kind of cliché, but he thought its eyes were like Logan's. Like Logan was trapped somewhere inside the sulky, sandy Pokémon.

"It is you, isn't it?" Acewing said, as the caged Pokémon began to wail. "No other Tyranitar would cry like a… a baby."

He hoped the mild insult would get the Tyranitar to say something. Anything. Even "shut up, Stanley" would've been wonderful. But the Tyranitar just murmured something and kept crying. Acewing found himself getting teary, too, and he was grateful that the rain was swiftly washing it away. He and his brother were there, crying in the rain like they were the stars of a mediocre soap opera. Logan's harsh transformation of Stanley had come full circle, and now both of them were Pokémon in a world owned by humans. How'd Logan transform, anyway? Did he just… do it to himself?

Acewing was so focused on the poor Tyranitar—Logan, whatever happened to him—that he didn't notice a nurse sneaking up on him. She carried a small tranquilizer gun, toting it like an action hero.

"I appreciate that you didn't fly away foolishly," the nurse said loudly, "but you'll get sick if you stay out in the cold like this!" Before Acewing could react, a dart sank into his side, and he immediately began to feel drowsy and strangely pleasant.

He heard the Tyranitar crying out for him, but the tranquilizer was making Acewing more and more incoherent.

"It'll be okay… don't worry," Acewing called as the nurse lugged him back indoors.

Next thing Acewing knew, he was in the hospital lobby, and a familiar face was looking down at him.

"Stanley?" Kristy said, frowning. "I mean, Acewing. You're all soaked."

"I… saw Logan outside… cage," Acewing said dreamily. "Rain, crying."

"I'm going to dry him off and put him back to sleep," the nurse said to Kristy. "Mind helping me?"

"No," Acewing mumbled as they carried him off. "Logan… outside."

* * *

><p>"Bye Ingo and Emmet!" Kristy waved as the two subway masters made to leave the Pokémon Center.<p>

"Goodbye, you two," Ingo said, looking back. "I hope to see you on a battle line someday. Hopefully, it's when your Pokémon are healed in full."

"Bye Kristy," Emmet said haltingly. "I'd love to, to go see the musical with you. It sounds very entertaining. I liked talking to you earlier. Battling would be fun, too. Anyway, bye." He waved a gloved hand shyly.

"Maybe when I'm back home, I'll give you a call," Kristy said, waving back. After a moment, they were gone. "Emmet's really nice," Kristy said to no one in particular.

"What did you _talk _about?" nudged Ray.

"It's not like _that!"_ she said indignantly. "We were just passing time in the same place."

"Okay, here's the deal," the nurse said as she walked up to Ray. "I'll go through them in order. Your Manectric's coloring is a bit off—"

"That's how he's supposed to be," Ray said.

"Yeah, I figured. Anyway, the Manectric will be fine as long as he doesn't stress out that one leg too much. The Houndoom shouldn't do anything other than walk for a few months. The Skarmory's burns are nearly healed, and they shouldn't hurt anymore. The Braviary got a little adventurous last night, and I think it might have a cold, but besides that it's fine. The Armaldo's still just a bit sore, I think. The Fearow shouldn't have any riders for a month or so. The Jolteon's just a little shaken up, and the Nidoqueen will heal by the end of the week. And… I think that's it."

"Thanks," Ray said. "But how come the machine can't help them? The… the automatic magic healing thing?"

"Oh, that," the nurse said. "That's good for battle injuries. Scratches, light burns, all that. _Your _Pokémon were struck by lightning, and apparently half of them were beat on by a huge Tyranitar. Those kinds of injuries don't get healed instantly."

"Oh…" Ray said, embarrassed. "Okay."

The nurse handed Ray a tray full of Poké Balls. "Here they are. Don't go abusing them any further, or they won't be the only ones in bed with broken bones!"

* * *

><p>Outside, Ray and Kristy wondered what to do next.<p>

"I think we should go back and check out the seventh Gym," Ray said.

"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Kristy. "Sending out your hurt Pokémon to battle right now would probably get the authorities all over your… all over you!"

"Well, then what?" Ray said. "If we don't, then we'll only be able to _watch_ the Championship."

"I think you've done enough in Unova, Ray. Soon they're going to get tired of you and deport you to Hoenn—"

"Excuse me!" said a nurse, running out from the Pokémon Center. "Is the Tyranitar out back yours? Someone put it there saying it was wild, and we're not allowed to take in wild Pokémon if they're shown to be hostile—anyway, now it seems pretty tame. Is it yours?"

Ray and Kristy exchanged looks. "Yeah, it's mine," Ray said quickly.

"It's in a cage behind the Center," the nurse said. "I'll leave it to you, then, since you should have its ball. You _do _have it, right?" She returned to the Pokémon Center, chattering on about kids and their irresponsible ownership of powerful Pokémon.

* * *

><p>"Oh, good," Kristy said as they approached the cage, still wet from the night before. "I thought it was still gonna be huge."<p>

The Tyranitar was normal-sized, and it acted different now that it wasn't gigantic. It pressed up against the cage hopefully, reaching a hand out.

"Poor thing," Kristy said, forgetting the damage it had caused a day ago. "They just left it in a cage overnight? In the rain?"

"I guess all the Trainer Pokémon got priority," Ray said. "That, or they forgot about him."

"What're you gonna do with him?"

"Well, I don't know." Ray walked up to the large cage. "Logan? You there?"

The Tyranitar reacted by crying plaintively.

"I think that's a yes," Kristy said. "A really sad one." She suppressed a grin. "Although Logan seems much nicer this way."

"You know how I told you about how Logan's Styler exploded, and it transformed him, and we found his Pokémon around the area?" Ray looked up into the air somewhere, avoiding the Tyranitar's pleading eyes. "I think their Poké Balls got destroyed by the blast. So they're technically wild."

"Are you gonna catch them?" Kristy asked. "Nidoqueen could really balance your team, maybe."

"I don't know… I don't think I'd be comfortable with it. If I took them, then I'd have to take Logan, too, and there's no way I'll ever feel right keeping Logan as my Pokémon."

"Well, what're you gonna do?"

Ray dug through his bag and produced an Ultra Ball. "That Latios gave this to me, remember? I guess I'll use it and ask for one last thing."

"How do you do that, exactly?"

Ray shrugged and pushed the button. The Ultra Ball clicked and expanded a bit, becoming throwable. Nothing happened for a few minutes, but then the air shimmered and the Latios appeared, hovering in the air like some alien device. He had a dark, jagged scar below his left eye, like a fault line in an otherwise flawless landscape.

"Hello," the Latios said. "Sorry I was late."

"What happened?" Ray asked. "With the, the—"

"Scar?" Latios looked away, briefly hiding the mark from view. "Well… it's nothing you should be concerned about. So, what do you want?" He turned and looked at the Tyranitar curiously. "Is it about him?"

"Yeah," Ray said. "Long story short is that he used to be a human, but now he's stuck as a Pokémon and he doesn't seem to be communicating. His brother also got turned into a Pokémon, but _he _can communicate like a person—you've met him already."

"Yes…" Latios hovered lower to the ground, staring right into the Tyranitar's eyes. The caged Pokémon quieted and became still, as if in a trance.

"Hmm," the Latios continued. "I definitely see something… I see a personality, a soul, whatever you might call it. It's in there, but it's trapped. It's sort of caged away, just like the Tyranitar currently is."

"Can you… free it?"

"Well… I was trying already. I don't want to screw up his mind by messing with it too much. That's what I'm… afraid of. Hm… may I speak to his Pokémon? His brother, too."

Ray plucked the appropriate spheres from his belt.

* * *

><p>"You two were the human's Pokémon, right?" Latios asked.<p>

"Yes," Nidoqueen grunted.

"Is he okay?" Jolteon said.

"Fear not, Jolteon," assured Latios. "I've simply got something to offer you two. If you no longer feel at home in this world, I'm willing to take you to mine. We can always use some good-hearted Pokémon."

"Ooh," Jolteon said. "Is your world different?"

"I'll get to that later. If you accept, then I can't guarantee that I can take you back and forth between worlds whenever you want. It drains the—the hell out of me, and it gets harder every time I do it. So make a decision."

Stanley spoke up. "Logan has another Pokémon, a Kadabra. I don't know where it went."

"It must have abandoned you all when it got free," Latios guessed. "In that case, the Kadabra probably won't care what happens to you or this Tyranitar." He shook his head.

"Well, I want to go," Jolteon said. "I don't like this world anymore."

"If you're blaming the humans for all of this, I would advise… well, you're a bit too young for that, maybe," Latios mused. "But in my world, there aren't any humans. Only Pokémon like us. There're also feral Pokémon, however, so it's not _all_ peaceful."

"…I still wanna go," Jolteon said.

"Same," agreed Nidoqueen.

Latios sighed and turned around. "Now, what to do with the Tyranitar, Logan… I want to take him, too, because he's so vulnerable and miserable. But he's not far from a feral Pokémon."

"I'll knock some sense into him if he ever acts up," Nidoqueen offered. "I've done it before, and him being a fellow Pokémon'll just make it easier."

Latios smiled. "I'll hold you to your word, then. I hope I can eventually restore him and bring back his conscious mind, but until then he'll have to stay… a pet of sorts.

"And, Acewing," the Latios said, "I assume you want to stay here?"

"Y-yeah."

Latios nodded.

* * *

><p>"I'll be taking the Tyranitar, and Logan's Pokémon," Latios explained to Ray and Kristy. "Stanley wants to stay here with you."<p>

"You're taking them to _your_ world?" Kristy asked. "That's so cool! I wish I could see it."

"I'm not quite sure what would happen to you in my world. Let's not take any chances. And Ray, as much as I like helping you… I'm afraid this may be the last time I appear in your life." Latios looked away. "I'll let you keep that ball, but I have enough on my… my plate already. Does that figure of speech make sense?

"I'm sure you can handle anything that unceremoniously hurtles your way," Latios continued. He stared at the Tyranitar again. "Yet it always seems to come back to cages. Latias in a cage, a Tyranitar in a cage… I'm glad there aren't any cages in my world. No strong ones, anyway…

"I'll be leaving now," the Eon Pokémon concluded after a moment of silence. "Any last requests?"

Kristy shyly stepped forward. "Can I…?"

Latios knew what she wanted, and he suddenly became shy. "Well, I guess… go ahead." He lowered his head, and Kristy petted his neck gently. "It's not every day you meet a Pokémon like me, right?"

"You're softer than I thought… it's wonderful." She jumped back, blushing. "I'm sorry Latios—that was probably really humiliating." Everyone else watched her awkwardly.

The Latios simply looked relieved that Kristy didn't go overboard with the feeling. He quietly responded, "Oh, it's nothing. Just a touch. Those tell me a lot about people." He seemed to silently yearn for something for a brief moment before saying, "And one last comment…" The Latios subtly turned to Acewing for a moment, communicating something without words. Acewing visibly perked up, and his eyes lost their melancholy glaze.

"What did you tell him?" Ray asked.

"Something you'll find out for yourself soon enough," Latios said. "He really needed it, though, from what he's been through."

Nidoqueen and Jolteon went forward and held Latios's hands, and then Latios rested his head on the Tyranitar's cage. The Tyranitar looked up curiously, poking Latios through the cage.

_This is it,_ he said telepathically, since he was facing away. _Even though I said this is the last time… I wouldn't be too surprised if we met again. Until then… farewell!_

The four Pokémon disappeared in an instant, taking the cage with them. Ray, Kristy, and Stanley were left in the rear of the Pokémon Center, all feeling a strange mixture of solemnity and optimism.

"Let's get out of here before we get billed for a missing cage," Kristy suggested.

"Where do you think Chuck went?" Ray said as they walked off.

"Beats me. He's probably off rescuing people to show how much of a good person he is now."

"I hope I see him again—"

"Not now though, because he still creeps me out."

They only got a couple hundred feet away before Ray's C-Gear rang. It was a video call, so Ray spoke to his wrist like some sci-fi character.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Ray!" said Professor Juniper. She seemed to be somewhere grassy, but the resolution on the C-Gear was dismal. "I heard everything worked out fine for you and your friends. I'll admit, I was worried!"

"When the Styler broke, everyone turned back to normal," Ray told the professor. Everyone went back to normal… except Stanley and Logan. Stanley had been transformed by an unstable prototype, and Logan had been changed by the explosion itself, so they wouldn't be turning back anytime soon.

"Yes, I know," Juniper said. "It's all over the news. I assume you had a role in all of this that the news people don't know about."

"Yeah, and I want it to stay that way!" Ray laughed.

"Fair enough! I was calling, by the way, because this whole fiasco _is _about the Pokémon Rangers, in a way. One of my far-off colleagues is interested in speaking to you. I'll connect him now. Ready? Bye, Ray!"

The screen shifted to an eccentric, gray-haired man with outrageous eyebrows. His moustache stuck out horizontally in a similar fashion. Whether or not that was the norm wherever the man lived, Ray couldn't tell.

"Hello, Ray!" said the man loudly. "My name is Professor Hastings!"

Stanley jumped, running over to Ray and trying to peer at the C-Gear screen.

"Your friend Kristy found quite a bit of Logan's writings in his lab—I'm rather proud of him for running his own lab. He seems like he'd be quite industrious back home! Actually, he _was _industrious, because he _reinvented the Styler_!" Professor Hastings chuckled for a second, before shutting himself up. "But that's what I want to talk about. As you probably know, the Styler was an invention of mine! I had to deal with a lot of potential energy sources when I was developing it. I mean, the Styler is basically a harnesser of energy. Traditional electric energy, energy from the Ranger's will, energy from the Pokémon… I worked on those three, but I left the energy of evolution untouched. It was too finicky, too unstable! To keep the Styler from blowing up, I designed it so that it carries that evolution energy in, but quickly passes it out. Logan essentially modified my strongest Styler design so that it _kept _all that energy… and you can see what kind of wonders and horrors arose from that!

"I… I didn't think it would be Logan. I'll say that out front. Logan's no mad scientist, from what I remember of him. But now it is my understanding that both he and his brother, Stanley, are gone. They're Pokémon roaming around somewhere! How will we ever find them! We never found them when they ran off, and they were _humans _then! Why, I—"

"Professor Hastings?" Ray said. "Did Kristy tell you? Stanley's our friend. He's been traveling around with us for a while now."

"Ah. Well, I'm sorry you lost such a wonderful friend—"

"No, I mean he's right here!" Ray lowered his wrist, and Stanley immediately stepped in the C-Gear's view.

"Why, you're a _bird!_" Hastings exclaimed. "Of course. Well, Stanley, after three years, I speak for everyone when I say that we all miss you! What were you thinking, running away like that?"

Stanley squawked out in protest, causing Hastings to relent. "I'm sorry, Stanley! I can't chew out a _Pokémon _who can't speak in return!" He guffawed for a moment, before continuing: "Well, Stanley, I really want to see you again. Please come back to Almia. I hope you see now that nobody has anything against you. They never had. In fact, the only problem was Logan and Rachel's problem with the... uh, never mind!" He glanced away for a second. "I must be going now! I hope to see you again, Stanley!" The C-Gear went blank.

Acewing cried out hoarsely, longingly. Ray said, "I think I'll go to Almia with Stanley, if I can somehow get my parents to let me. After stopping by Hoenn. Wanna come?"

"My parents are going to kill me as is," Kristy muttered. "Which means I guess I can come with you. It can't get any worse."

"You sure?"

"Well… I _should_ call them, but… they'll be so mad."

Ray didn't want Kristy to leave. He didn't mean for that sentiment to be awkward, but it sure came out that way. "We had fun together, right?" he said. "Maybe if I pretend to be your boyfriend, they won't be so disapproving?" He glanced away before Kristy could see how embarrassed he was.

Kristy's rolled her eyes. "Is that the best you can do?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ray said as they started walking.

"Oh, nothing. Well, if we're gonna ditch this region, let's go to Castelia, as fast as we can."

"Flying straight south over Unova would be a shortcut," Ray noted. "Do you think you're up for it, Stanley? I mean, Acewing?"

Acewing nodded—he was as eager as Terne was to fly around. The weather had cleared up perfectly.

Ray let out Terne, who was always ready to fly. With Ray on Terne, and Kristy a bit awkwardly on Acewing, they flew off towards the horizon—to home, new adventures, and hopefully no more chaotic crises. Ray looked across at Kristy and Acewing—Kristy was flying better, and apologizing for any sort of thing she accidentally did to her mount, Acewing. The Braviary, however, seemed serene, like something that had plagued him forever was finally dispelled once and for all. He was cured of some conscientious poison, a shadow that had followed him ever since he ran away from Almia. Ray didn't know the details of Stanley's past, and maybe Acewing didn't either, but what mattered was that it was finally over with.


End file.
